


Speechless

by FINNTOZIER



Category: Queen (Band)
Genre: F/M, One Night Stands, Original Character(s), Smut, Strangers to Lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-03
Updated: 2019-05-03
Packaged: 2020-02-16 12:12:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 28
Words: 40,676
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18691258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FINNTOZIER/pseuds/FINNTOZIER
Summary: "you were always more than just a one night stand, you left me speechless from the moment i laid eyes on you."in which roger taylor begins to fall for his best friend's best friend.





	1. one

"Have I got to?" Elise Rudd asked, a small pout playing on her lips as she swung her legs over her best friend's lap. She took the mug of tea he had brought her, graciously holding it up to her lips and taking a small sip, letting the warmth run through her.

"Please? I'd love for you to finally meet my friends," John begged. He rested his arms on her legs and looked at her pleadingly. "They've heard so much about you, they won't leave me alone until you agree to come!"

John Deacon was the bassist of a band called Queen, and over the few years that he'd been playing with them, they've always heard of Elise but had never met her. She claimed it was because she didn't want to take away from his rockstar time rather than the truth, which was that she was shy.

He'd been trying to get her to go to one of his gigs for ages now, going from bringing it up casually to practically begging her, over and over. He hoped that this time, it'd work, mainly because he couldn't wait for his two worlds to meet.

Elise was always one to make new friends; it was easy for her, despite being shy at first. Her snarkiness somehow always got people's attention, and she guessed it was just because she rarely got offended. Once she got to know someone, and be comfortable with them, the shyness disappeared.

John had always told her that it was because of her kindhearted personality and how caring she was. She would laugh and shrug it off, usually saying that she's only ever like that with him. She was the most comfortable with him, anyway; she was herself around him, no matter what

She wasn't quite sure why she was so shy and scared of meeting her best friend's band. She thought that maybe it had something to do with them being 'rock stars' and all, or because of everything she'd heard. She felt as if, maybe, she wasn't good enough to meet them.

Elise had heard their music and had read every single article in the news about them. How couldn't she? John was her best friend. He'd introduced her to their first album when it came out, immediately getting it on record and bringing it to her flat. She'd sit for hours listening to their voices and the lyrics they sang, though John never quite knew that.

John knew she loved his band almost as much as he did. She'd always have his records on when he came around, and she'd always be humming or singing along. He was never worried about that. It wasn't that she hated Queen, or the idea of it—they both just knew that it would be a little frightening for her to meet them at first. He was just as shy as she was, before he joined Queen.

Elise smiled at him, deciding that maybe it was finally time for her to meet his band. The rain was softly hitting the window of his lounge, sounding a soft patter throughout his flat. She held her mug of tea close, trying to gain some of its warmth.

"I'll come," she agreed, watching as John's face lit up, as if he was a child let loose in a candy store. "But—"

"What? What is it?" John asked happily, almost bouncing up and down in his seat.

Elise laughed. "I don't know what to wear?"

"That's easy!" he told her, "Vera should be home soon, she's got some nice things you could probably borrow! We've not got that much time between now and the gig, so you'll probably be able to use her wardrobe. She's very good at dressing people up, you know—"

"Deaky, love," she laughed, cutting him off, "please, take a breath. I don't want you passing out before we're even at the show."

John laughed softly and took a deep breath before holding his hands out, motioning for her to hand him her mug. She obliged and held out her tea for him, resting her head against the back of the sofa as he took a sip.

The two of them sat in silence for a few moments, the only sound running through his flat being the crackling of the fire and the patters of the rain against the window. Elise was cuddled up to John's side, her legs still over his lap as they shared her tea.

Two spaced out knocks on John's door told the two of them that Veronica was home. Elise swung her legs off of John's lap, taking the tea from him as he began to stand up. He made his way over to the door and opened it for his wife, a smile painted on both of their faces as she stepped through the door.

"Hello, love," he greeted her, pressing a soft kiss to her lips as she shrugged her purse off of her shoulders, blindly hanging it up behind her on the coat hook.

"Hello," she smiled as she pulled away. "Hi, Elise."

"Vera!" Elise giggled, standing up and placing her mug on the coffee table. She made her way towards Veronica, pulling her into a tight hug. "I've missed you!"

"I've missed you too, dear. Finally decided if you're going to the gig tonight?" Veronica asked, kicking her heels off. She shrugged her jacket off as well and hung it with her purse, waiting for Elise's response.

"I have. I'm going, but, I need to ask a favour of you," Elise told her, scratching at the back of her neck.

"If you need to borrow some clothes, it's no problem, really. I've got the perfect thing to match John's outfit for tonight!" Veronica told her, almost as if she could read her mind. Elise let out a soft laugh and nodded, following her into her and John's shared bedroom.

Veronica rummaged in her closet for a few moments as Elise sat on the edge of their bed with John by her side. She shuffled through a few of her dresses before peering her head out of the closet, looking at John.

"Black, right? Is Roger still going to wear that glitzy thing?" she asked, tilting her head to the side slightly.

"Yes, as far as I know," he laughed, falling onto his back. His hair spread out around his face, making him look as close to angelic as one could be.

It took Veronica a few moments to find the glitzy black dress that she had worn to one of their gigs a while back. "Aha!" she exclaimed, coming out of the closet with the dress in her hands.

Elise looked at it with a smile on her face. It was strapless and looked as if it'd fall at the bottoms of her knees, and she loved it. "Can I try it on?" she asked.

"Of course! I'll find some heels that'd match it, if you'd like," Veronica told her as she handed her the dress. She nodded happily and made her way into their bathroom, stripping from her sweatpants and tank top.

Elise slid the dress over her curves, realising only moments after that her bra wouldn't fit under it. She stripped off her bra as well and pulled the rest of the dress up, quite happy with how it fit her.

"Roger's going to be all over her," Veronica told her husband as she rummaged through her shoes.

"I don't know if I really want that," John said truthfully, "I'm not sure how she's going to be with him, you know? I dunno, maybe they'll hit it off."

"As long as he doesn't hurt her," said Veronica, "I'll beat him to a bloody pulp if he does. She's like my sister, you know that."

"I'll help you with that, love," John laughed.

Elise made her way out of the bathroom, her fingers fiddling with the zipper on the side of her dress. "Could I get some help?" she asked.

John stood from where he was sat and made his way over to his best friend, pulling the zipper up for her as Veronica emerged from her closet, holding a pair of black, strappy heels.

"I knew that'd be the perfect one!" Veronica smiled, "bloody hell, you look better in that than I ever have."

Elise let out a laugh and took the heels that she held out for her, mumbling a small thank you. She easily strapped them on and was nearly as tall as John by now.

"You look very good," John told her, pulling her in for a small hug. Elise was blushing ten shades of pink by now, and she felt as pretty as she looked.

"Well!" Veronica exclaimed, clasping her hands together, "shall I do your hair?"


	2. two

"What if they don't like me? I'm not all that likeable, you know," Elise asked nervously, stumbling over her words. She was sat in the passenger seat of John's car, her knee bouncing up and down anxiously as they neared closer to the pub. 

Veronica had chosen not to go with the two of them, claiming that she'd had a long day and wasn't feeling too up to it. John kissed her forehead and made sure she had everything she needed before he left, bundling her up with blankets and a mug of hot tea. 

"Elle," John chuckled, using the nickname he had come up with a few years back, "you'll be fine. Trust me."

It was if all of her worries went away as she looked at the young man beside her. He had a smile on his face wider than she'd ever seen before, almost as wide as it was when he had told her that Veronica said yes to his proposal, and when he and Veronica were standing at the altar together. Elise could tell that he was happy for her to meet his other friends, and that made her as happy as ever. 

"They're going to love you," he told her. "You're like the snarkier version of me. You'll fit right in, okay?"

Elise nodded. "I promise that I won't embarrass you, even though I've got so many memories I could share..." she trailed off, "might be a good idea to keep the alcohol away from me."

John and Elise became friends in the year two when Elise's family moved in across the street. They were the only children living on the block that year, leaving them to be the only ones each other could play with. 

John had shown her around the school, her hand in his as they skipped through the hallways, pointing and laughing at how stuck up some of the older kids looked in the class photos that decorated the walls. They'd been inseparable since, spending almost every day of the week together.

When John had told Elise about his plans to marry Veronica, she'd been just as ecstatic as he was. She and Veronica were rather good friends, as she had been the one introducing the two to each other a few years back. The two of them met while she was in college, in an extracurricular art class. Elise was glad that she was able to introduce the two of them because only one other person could make him as happy as Veronica, was herself. 

"As long as you don't say anything too embarrassing, I think you'll be fine," John laughed, pulling into the car park of the pub. "We're here."

Elise's heart began to race. She fiddled with the small, silver band around her wrist and sighed, looking out of the window at the large building. "Do I look okay?"

"You look as beautiful as you always do," he said. "Wait, look here a second?"

Elise turned her head to face John, her hands running along the skirt of her dress. He pushed a small strand of her honey brown hair behind her ear that had fallen from one of her pins and she smiled brightly, a gleam in her eye.

"Shall we?" she asked him, suddenly gaining a bit of confidence, as she was excited.

John nodded and the both of them made their way out of his car, meeting at the hood. He held out his arm for her and she linked hers with it, not having stopped smiling since she had got out of his car. 

"I'll walk you in, yeah? Then I've to go backstage and get ready, but we won't be too long getting ready. We'll be out in a few, okay?" John explained, almost tripping over his words a few times as he led her into the pub. 

The smell of beer and cigarette smoke immediately hit Elise, causing her to stumble for a moment. "That's bloody strong," she told him, laughing slightly. 

"You get used to it, sometimes," he laughed back. "Have you got everything you need? Money? Smokes?" 

Elise turned to her best friend, removing her arm from his. She placed her hands on his shoulders, trying to calm the overexcited man. "I'm okay. I've got everything, see?" she laughed, holding up her small purse for him to see.

John smiled and pulled her in for a small hug. "I don't know what I'd do without you, honestly."

"You'd probably be sad. I'm awesome."

He scoffed and looked to the side, laughing slightly. "You're right."

"Go on now," said Elise, "go have your fun. I'll be right here, watching."

John lingered for a moment, grateful for the girl in front of him. "Okay," he grinned before turning away from her, making his way over to a door by the side of the stage. 

Elise watched as John disappeared backstage, her arms and hands resting by her side. She turned around, looking at the bar counter, and walked over to take a seat. There weren't many people around the bar; they were mostly out lingering by the stage. 

"Could I get you anything?" a woman asked her, snapping her out of her daze. Elise looked at her with a small smile, biting her lip slightly as she thought of something she'd like to drink.

"Could I just get a whiskey on the rocks, please?" she replied, beginning to rummage through her purse for a fiver. 

"Of course. First time here?" the bartender asked as she grabbed for a cup and the ice. 

"Yeah. My friend John wanted me to see him perform with his band," Elise told her, placing the fiver on the counter towards her.

She poured the whiskey over the ice and slid the glass towards her. "Hope you enjoy it. They're very good, they perform here a lot."

Elise nodded and smiled, taking the glass of whiskey and quickly taking a swig. The lights dimmed slightly and the spotlight turned on, pointing directly at the stage. Queen quickly stammered onto the stage, a bright grin on all of their faces. John looked around the pub for Elise and she waved her hand, meeting his gaze.

"This is called Liar," John said into Freddie's microphone, looking straight out at the crowd. Elise felt a surge of happiness run through her veins as they began to play.

She sipped on her whiskey as she watched them perform, and when it came time for John to play his solo, she sucked in a breath. His fingers slid over the frets so easily, and she was proud. It took almost everything in her not to stand up and applaud at that moment, knowing that the song wasn't over yet.

Elise did stand up and clap once it was over, though. The look on John's face was purely joyful as he walked off, running backstage and tossing his bass carefully onto the couch in their dressing room. He made his way out to the door he had walked into and motioned for Elise to follow him. 

She downed the last of her whiskey quickly and placed her glass down before standing up and smoothing out the wrinkles in her dress. She slung her purse over her shoulder and held her jacket close to her body as she walked, unable to stop herself from beaming.

"You did brilliantly!" Elise said praisingly, hugging John tightly. He chuckled and hugged her back for a moment before leading her into their dressing room.

Elise suddenly got nervous again, her palms slightly clammy. John noticed her sudden anxiety and ran his hand along her jacket-clad arm reassuringly. "You'll do fine."

John opened the door and led Elise into the large dressing room, his hand clasped with hers. "I'm back," he announced, letting go of Elise's hand and shutting the door behind him.

All three of the guys' heads snapped up, looking at John and Elise. She felt a blush creep up on her cheeks as their eyes landed on her, and she waved slightly.

"Hello, I'm Elise."

Freddie stood up almost immediately, his arms open as he made his way to the girl by the door. "You're here!" he exclaimed happily, embracing her in a hug. She hugged him back, feeling more welcome than she thought she would.

"Hello," she said, her voice small as she hugged the slightly taller man. 

"John's told us so much about you! Veronica has too! Oh, how happy I am to finally meet you!" Freddie stammered, pulling away from the hug and holding her at arm's length. "I'm Freddie."

"I'm Brian," said the lanky, curly-headed man from the sofa on the other side of the room. "Very nice to meet you."

The blonde that was sat in the only armchair in the room smirked. "I'm Roger."

Freddie turned around and sat on the other side of the sofa with Brian, leaving Elise by the door with John.

"It's very nice to meet you all," Elise said, "John doesn't stop talking about you three, either."


	3. three

"Make yourself at home," John smiled at Elise before he made his way over to the sofa and sat between Brian and Freddie, immediately engaging in a conversation with the two of them.

Elise balanced herself on her slightly aching feet and rubbed at her arm, looking around the room. She took in her surroundings and realised that there was nowhere to sit. She looked at John, who was too deep in his conversation to notice. 

"I've got a place you can sit," Roger said smugly, only loud enough for the two of them to hear. Elise snapped her head in his direction and gave him a small smile, tilting her head to the side slightly, as if she was asking him, "where?"

He chuckled and uncrossed his leather-clad legs, resting his feet flat on the ground. "My lap looks completely empty." 

She looked at him for a moment as if he was mad. She studied his face, trying to figure out if he was joking, which, she figured, he wasn't. 

"Come on, love. It's got to be better than standing in those heels," he told her, repositioning himself once more as he waited for her to take the invitation. 

"You're right. Looks rather comfortable, if I'm being honest," she chuckled lightly, walking over to the man in the armchair. She liked the idea of playing his little game. 

Elise stood in front of him with her hands rested at her sides, looking down at the handsome man. His gaze caught hers and he placed his hands on her waist, pulling her down onto his lap gently. She squealed quietly as her dress bounced up in the slightest before falling at her knees again, the sudden coolness of the air leaving goosebumps along her thighs.

She was sat perfectly on Roger's lap, her back half against his chest, half against the side of the armchair. His arm was snaked around her waist and she squirmed, trying to get into the most comfortable position. Roger groaned under his breath, hoping that the woman on top of him wouldn't notice.

"What makes you so willing to have me sit on your lap? It mustn't be the most comfortable of things," Elise questioned, her head turned just enough to make it easier for her to look at him.

She studied him once more, this time taking in his features. She trailed her soft brown eyes around his face, looking at the way his pink lips formed, the way the tip of his nose faintly moved as he spoke, and how bright his eyes were. He looked like a prince out of a storybook, she thought, except she'd never seen a prince with hair as gorgeous as his.

"It's more comfortable than you standing in your heels has to be. Kind of like this, you on my lap and all," he told her, a smirk painted on his face.

"See you've found someplace to sit," John said, causing Elise's attention to turn to him.

She laughed. "It's very comfortable." 

"Don't get too cosy," Brian said, laughing, "he bites."

Elise looked at Roger, causing the three men on the sofa to chuckle. Roger winked at her. "I do."

"Who's to say that she wouldn't enjoy that?" Freddie asked, playing with a small strand of John's hair. Elise nearly choked on her air.

"I'm not nearly drunk enough for that, sorry Freddie," she told him, resting her arm around Roger's shoulders. 

Roger leaned in, his lips lingering near her ear. "'S that all I've gotta do to get you in bed? Get you drunk?" 

Elise shivered and looked at him with hooded eyes. "Never said that," she replied. "Said you'd have to get me drunk to bite me." 

"What if I'd like to bite you?" he asked, his grip on her waist tightening. 

If there was one thing Elise was the best at, it was teasing. Only she and John knew that she couldn't get drunk off of whiskey on its own, and that was all she'd be drinking that night.

"Then you're going to have to try and bite me," she said with a wink. "Brian! You're an astrophysicist, yeah?"

"You really do talk about us," Brian chuckled, elbowing John in the side playfully. He shrugged. "Yeah, I am, why?"

"Oh, 's nothin'. I've always been interested in constellations, never had anyone to look at them with," Elise told him, feeling Roger's fingers dig into her skin, barely enough to cause her any discomfort. 

"I could show you them one day if you'd like!" he smiled brightly. 

"Would you? That'd be so nice," she said. "John never mentioned how welcoming you three are." 

"Elise, the three of them are very welcoming." John's voice was dripping with sarcasm as he spoke, causing each of them to laugh. 

It became quiet soon after, yet it wasn't an uncomfortable silence. Everyone felt at peace, and Elise could've sworn she could still hear their hearts racing from the adrenaline rush they got after the show. Her fingers absentmindedly began to play with Roger's hair, relishing in the softness of it.

"Drinks, anyone?" Freddie asked, standing up after he had regained his breath completely. "Something tells me we all need to get completely fucked." 

"Sounds perfect, right now," Roger said, lifting Elise off of his lap lightly. She smoothed out her dress and turned back to him, holding out a hand to help him up. He took it graciously and stood up, not moving for a few moments.

When Roger was sure that the rest of the band was out by the bar, his hands fell back on Elise's hips. He pulled her as close as he could to himself and snaked an arm around her waist, his free hand coming up to her cheek. 

There was something about the way she leaned into his touch that drove him insane. He didn't understand the feelings that ran through him as he dragged his thumb over her bottom lip, electricity sparking throughout his hand. 

Roger bent down, his lips ghosting over hers. He was waiting for her permission. Elise's hand came up to his neck, fingers tangling faintly in his hair, keeping him in place as she closed the gap. Roger's lips were soft against hers, and they tasted like cigarette smoke while hers tasted like whiskey. 

It felt like a fire ignited in Elise as their lips connected. All time had stopped; it was just them, there, in that perfect moment. Roger's lips moved gracefully with hers, his arm never leaving her waist. When they pulled away for air, something felt different. 

Roger knew then that she wasn't going to be just a one night stand. She wasn't like the rest of his groupies. He had felt something with her.

"You're a very good kisser," Elise said out loud, almost immediately regretting it. Roger smirked and dropped his hand from her cheek. 

"Just wait until you see what I'm like in bed."

"'S that a threat, or a promise?" she asked, turning away to walk out of the door.

"A promise, love," he said, following quickly behind. Elise chuckled and reached for his hand, pulling him through the crowd of sweaty bodies. 

"What's taken you two so long?" Brian asked as Elise and Roger finally made it to the bar.

"Had to fix the strap on my heel, is all. Couldn't get it clasped properly," Elise told him, settling down on a barstool beside John. Roger sat on the other side of her and John looked at her, making sure she was alright.

"Oh, okay," Brian replied. John bit the inside of his cheek, full-well knowing that that wasn't the case. He thought back to what Veronica said and reminded himself to make a point of talking to Roger before the night was over. 

"Lovie!" Freddie squeaked, wrapping his arms around the girl once he got back from the bathroom. "What do you drink?"

"Whiskey, dear," she smiled, leaning into his touch. 

"Wanna play a game?" he asked, taking his seat beside Brian once more. Elise looked at John as if to ask if he was going to kill her, and he just laughed, shrugging. 

"You're not going to kill me, are you?"

"Course not, darling! It's a little game I like to call 'who can down the most shots'," he laughed, almost sinisterly.

Elise looked at the rest of the boys momentarily. Her eyes lingered on Roger, a faint smirk on his face. She could do this. 

"Bring it on."


	4. four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> kinda shitty half smut?

Elise downed her fifteenth shot of the night, the burning alcohol making its way down her nearly raw throat. Freddie was sat beside her, his head resting on his arms as he watched her take her shot.

"How aren't you losing yet?" he asked, running a hand along his face.

"She's very good at handling her alcohol," John laughed, winking at his best friend. She smirked and nodded, happiness radiating from her.

"That, I am," she said, rubbing Freddie's back sympathetically. "'S okay to admit that I win."

"You win," he said bitterly, getting up and nearly falling over. He'd decided on drinking straight shots of vodka, for reasons she had no clue of, and it was wrecking him more than her whiskey was.

John knew that she was barely tipsy, and he just laughed. "I'm going to take Freddie home," he said in Elise's ear, his arms wrapped around her shoulders. "You going to be okay?"

"I'm pretty sure I will be. I've got money for a taxi if something happens."

"Okay," he said, pressing a small kiss to her forehead. "Stay safe."

"You, too," Elise replied. She stacked the shot glasses that were still on the bar counter and picked them up, taking them over to the bartender that she'd talked to earlier.

"Rog, mate," John said, standing in front of the blonde man that had taken a liking to his best friend. Brian was behind the two of them, trying to steady Freddie as he got up.

"Hey," he said, taking a small sip of his beer. He'd been drinking the same bottle of beer for the last hour as he watched the game between Freddie and Elise—if he was planning on driving home, he needed to stay sober.

It was the first time John had ever seen Roger stay sober at a gig of theirs. Usually, he'd be downing the shots right beside Freddie, getting completely smashed and ending up in the back of their tour bus with a different girl every night.

The girls had been—quite literally—on top of him all night, but he never took the bait. He had shoved them off and after a while, they stopped bothering him. He only had one girl on his mind, which was Elise. There was just something about her that made her completely irresistible.

"Look," John said, his arms crossed over his chest. "Just... don't hurt her. She's an adult and she can do what she wants, but please... she's my best friend."

Roger looked up at him, his cerulean eyes turned soft. "I promise, mate."

John and Roger were just as close of friends as John and Elise, and he knew that when Roger promised something, he always kept it.. John trusted him—he trusted that he'd never hurt her. "I'm supposed to tell you that if you hurt her, you've got Vera on your ass."

He laughed, slightly scared. Both of them knew how scary she could get when someone she loved got hurt, and they both knew never to cross her. "Alright."

"Take care of her, yeah? I'll see you at the studio tomorrow," John told him, patting his shoulder lightly before turning around and taking Freddie off of Brian's hands. "See you tomorrow," he said.

"See you," Brian smiled. John led Freddie out to his car and left Elise in the safekeeping of Roger and Brian.

Elise made her way back, settling down once more on the barstool beside Roger. She smiled at both of them before fiddling with the skirt of her dress, looking down at it.

"I'll leave you two to it. Chrissie should be here soon, anyway. Was very nice to meet you, Elise," Brian said after a moment, standing from his barstool. He held out his hand for the girl and she took it graciously, shaking it.

"Very nice to meet you as well, Bri," she smiled.

"Hope I'll see you at the studio tomorrow," he said, shooting Roger a small wink before turning to leave.

Elise swivelled on her barstool, facing the blonde. "Can you handle me all on your own?"

Roger chuckled. "Sounds like something I should be asking you."

"Tell me something about you." Elise's voice was soft as she spoke, moving her elbow to sit on the bar counter. She rested her head in her hand, her gaze never leaving his.

"There's not much to me. I'm just the drummer," he told her.

"I'll find out more about you over time, since you don't feel like telling me anything," she laughed playfully, leaning in faintly to hear him over the music. "I'm planning on sticking around for a while."

"I hope you are. Tell me your fondest memory?" he asked, his eyes sparkling under the dim lights of the bar.

"Bring in the big questions!" Elise laughed. "I like these. Hmm..."

"It's more interesting than 'what's your favourite colour?'" Roger pointed out, absentmindedly mimicking her stance, placing his head in his hand.

"That's true," she said, thinking. "I think it'd be the one where John and I first experienced snow together. We were twelve, and we'd spent the entire day outside that day. I remember being numb from the waist down by the time we got in for dinner, and I still don't regret a single thing."

As Elise told him her story, his heart began to race. He watched as her eyes lit up as she spoke of him, telling him about how she had "accidentally" thrown a snowball at the back of his head. They had an hour-long snowball fight after that, and of course, she'd won.

She told him a bunch of her favourite memories with John, laughing and watching as his face twisted in horror at some of the stories she was sharing. She had never shared her memories with anyone but John and Veronica, and it felt good to talk about it.

"What's yours?" she asked after a while of her talking. She smiled, delicately placing her hand on his thigh for support as they leaned in closer. Neither of them had noticed how close they were, and if they had, neither of them would've minded.

Roger sat for a moment, trying to think. It felt like his skin was on fire with her touch, and truth be told, he never wanted her to move it. He never wanted anyone else to touch him the way she was.

"When we went to Japan last year, his bunk was under mine on the tour bus. We must've hit a large bump or something because the next thing I know, he was on the ground and I was on top of him. It really hurt, but thinking of it now, I can't stop laughing," he told her, watching as she started laughing with him.

When the two of them had calmed down from their laughing, they realised how close they were. Elise could feel his hot breath against her face and her cheeks flushed red. Roger's hand came up to her cheek once more and she leaned into his touch, closing her eyes.

"Can I kiss you?" he asked softly, loud enough for only the two of them to hear. She nodded and he bent his head down slowly, closing the gap between them. His lips meshed with hers, his free hand coming to her waist.

He lost himself in the kiss, nipping at her bottom lip playfully with his teeth. A small moan slipped from her lips and he smirked, pulling away for air.

"Follow me," he whispered, standing up from his seat. She did the same and his hand grabbed delicately at hers, intertwining their fingers together as he led her through the crowd. He pulled her into the large bathroom of the pub and kicked the door closed, pressing her up against it moments later.

Roger's leg placed itself between hers, his knee resting between her thighs. He reattached his lips to hers, his hands on either side of her shoulders, pinning her in. Elise's fingers trailed up his back and to the nape of his neck, tangling in his hair once more.

"Gonna show me what you've got?" she asked playfully, mewling softly as he kissed down her neck.

"You gonna let me bite you?" Roger joked, picking her up by her thighs and turning around, setting her down on the bathroom counter. He stood between her legs once again and smirked against her skin, trailing his fingers, slowly, teasingly, up her thighs.

"Said you had to get me drunk for that," she chuckled. "I don't get drunk off of whiskey, sweets."

"You really are a minx, you know that?" he told her. "Is this okay? Are you sure?"

"I'm sure."

Roger's hoisted her dress up by her waist and trailed his fingers over the tops of her thighs, over the skin where her waistband rested, everywhere except the place she wanted him most. He was kissing her neck, causing her to squirm ever-so-slightly against him as he tried to find her sweet spot.

"Please," she begged, her hands tangled in his hair. Roger stopped his attack on her neck and smirked at her, ghosting his fingers over the damp spot in her knickers.

"Use your words, love," he said. Her whines were like music to his ears.

"Touch me, Roger."

Her wish was his command and he pulled her knickers to the side, running one finger through her folds, collecting her juices. An almost pornographic moan fell from her lips as his finger connected with her neglected bundle of nerves, sending electric shocks through her body.

Elise pulled Roger close to her, reattaching her lips to his. His tongue slid across her bottom lip, asking for entrance, which she denied, playfully. He growled lowly and, without warning, slid two of his fingers into her, causing her to moan.

Roger took his chance and slipped his tongue in her mouth, starting to fight hers for dominance. They both knew that she stood no chance. He curled his fingers slightly, pumping them in and out as the two of them kissed.

It didn't take long for Elise to let go, and when she did, her body shook. She let out a loud moan which was silenced by his lips on hers. He rode out her high, groaning out slightly at the feeling of her walls clenching around his fingers. He pulled out of her sensitive hole, bringing them up to his mouth and cleaning them off.

Roger winked at her, "can I take you back to my flat?"


	5. five

Elise woke the next morning to the sun shining through Roger's windows, his blinds only half closed. She was tangled in his white sheets, her honey brown hair spread out on his pillows. She opened her eyes slowly and was met by Roger laying in front of him, his head propped up on his hand, his elbow digging into one of his many pillows.

"Good morning," he said quietly, draping his free arm over her waist. She snuggled in close, not wanting to leave the warmth of his embrace and his sheets. 

"Morning," she replied groggily, rubbing at her eyes. "What time is it?" 

"'S nearly eleven, I think?" Roger told her, looking at the alarm clock on his bedside table briefly. 

"Were you watching me sleep?" Elise asked, moving to tangle her legs with his. There was a dull ache between her legs and she smiled fondly at the memories of last night.

"You just looked so peaceful. Couldn't help myself."

Elise chuckled and closed her eyes, not necessarily because she was tired, but more because she was scared that if she'd have her eyes open long enough, she'd wake up and it would all be a dream. 

Roger's fingers were tracing small circles on her hip, the feel of her soft skin driving him nearly mad. He was confused; he'd never wanted to stay in bed with a girl before. He'd never wanted to hold anyone like he was in that moment. 

He couldn't quite figure out why she had made his feelings change.

"Are you coming to the studio with me?" he asked, still looking at the small girl in front of him. 

"If you want me to, sure," Elise smiled, opening her eyes once more. Roger untangled himself from his sheets and her embrace and stood up, making his way over to his closet and pulling out a fresh pair of boxers, all the while Elise was staring at his bum. "You have a nice arse," she said.

"As do you," he smirked, looking back. He rummaged through his closet quickly and pulled out one of his older jumpers for Elise. "Here," he said, handing her it. 

Elise graciously took his jumper and slid it over her head before planting her feet on the floor, standing up. His jumper was long enough to cover most of her extremities, except for the bottom of her bum. She made her way over to the end of his bed and picked up her knickers, slipping them on before joining Roger in the kitchen.

"Do you want some tea?" Roger asked, standing at the counter with his back towards Elise as he put his kettle on the stove. 

"Please," she replied, smiling as she walked over to him. "What time do we have to be at the studio?"

"About twelve." 

"Roger!" she squealed, scowling and hitting him across the shoulder once she was beside him. "That's in like, twenty minutes!" 

"We're not going to make it if you continue to walk around looking like that," Roger said, turning to face the girl. There was something about the way she looked in his clothes that drove him insane, especially with her hair as messy as it was.

"Why's that?" she asked, worried that she looked bad.

"Because, the things that I want to do to you right now would take me longer than twenty minutes." 

Elise's mouth dropped and she let out an involuntary whine, looking up at him with innocent eyes as she tried to come up with a response. Roger chuckled and turned back to the kettle on the stove. "I've got a pair of joggers in my closet that'd fit you, sweets. Go try them on, yeah?"

She nodded and as she turned around to leave, Roger smacked her barely covered ass playfully. He let out a small chuckle as she squealed, jumping a little bit.

"Roger!"

-

"You're late," Brian scowled as Roger walked through the doors of the studio. His mood almost immediately shifted when his eyes landed on Elise, walking in behind him. "Elise! I'm so glad you could make it."

"'M sorry I'm late," Elise said honestly, reaching over to hug Brian. She was quite the amount shorter than him, which made his hugs feel ten times better than they would if she was as tall as him. He cocooned her as they hugged, and she giggled. "Roger decided not to wake me up until half-past eleven."

"It's alright," he said, pulling away.

"Where's John?" she asked, her hands fiddling with the messy ponytail she had put in before she left Roger's. 

"He's just through there, love," Brian told her, pointing into another room. She nodded and made her way through the small building and into the room where Roger was sat beside Freddie, and John was sitting on his own with his bass in his lap.

Elise sat down beside John, crossing her legs as she faced him. "Hello."

"I'm assuming you stayed at Roger's last night?" he asked, placing his bass on a stand beside the sofa before pulling her into his arms. She sat with her legs over his lap once more, his arm holding her close. 

"I did. He makes splendid tea."

John chuckled. "He does, doesn't he? Did you at least have fun?"

Elise's cheeks reddened at the thoughts of last night. She had much more than fun. "Course I did," she said, "should've seen the look on his face when I told him that whiskey didn't affect me."

"I don't get a hello?" Freddie asked, pouting across the room. Elise turned her head and immediately jumped off of John and over to Freddie.

"Hello, my love," she said dramatically, throwing her arms around the man. He laughed and hugged her back, pulling her up on the sofa between him and Roger. 

"Very nice fashion choice," he said, chuckling.

"Roger's got quite the closet."

Brian soon came back into the room, holding four mugs of hot chocolate. He handed them out to each of them before going back to fetch his. 

"Thank you, Bri," Elise smiled, holding her knees up to her chest and cradling the mug of hot chocolate in her hands as he sat beside John. 

"'S no problem," he said. 

The room fell quiet as everyone sipped on their cocoa—a silence that no one quite minded. 

"Who's she?" A man asked, walking into the room. Elise looked around as each of the guy's faces resembled annoyance, except for Freddie, who looked the same as he had ten minutes before. 

"That's Elise," John muttered, "what does it matter?"

"How many times have I got to tell you three," the man said, leaving Freddie out of the equation, "you can't bring one of your stupid, slutty groupies to the studio."

Elise's mouth hung open and she could feel Roger get angry beside her. Brian looked just as angry as Roger did, but at that moment, Elise was scared of John.

In the many years that Elise knew John, she'd never seen him as angry as he looked at that moment. John was never one to get angry unless pushed to his breaking point. Elise only remembered one time he had ever got angry in front of her.

They were fifteen years old and a man had come up to her after school, saying crude comments about how sexy she looked, how short her skirt was, and how badly he wanted to do things to her. John and Elise were trying to walk away from him, her hand tightly enclasped in his, when John snapped at the last comment. 

Elise had never seen such a small boy attack a grown man like that. 

"How many times have we told you to fuck off and go to hell?" John asked, "she's not a groupie, you piece of shit."

Brian looked at the man beside him with wide eyes. He'd never seen John angry, either.

"Ah, Roger's new fling, is she?" the man retaliated back.

"I've met you for a period of, what, two minutes? And I already want to shove Roger's drumsticks so far down your throat you'd shit wood for weeks. I'm not Roger's new fling. I'm John's best friend, if it matters that much to you. Now, who are you, since we're doing introductions all over again?"

"I'm Paul Prenter."


	6. six

"This?" Elise asked, looking over at John, "this is Prenter?" She was only answered with a small, curt nod.

Roger was sat beside Elise, his fist that wasn't holding his mug of cocoa clenched. If it was possible, Elise was sure there'd be steam coming from his ears. She wasn't sure if it was because of the comment he made about her, or if it was simply because of his presence.

"Whatever," Paul said, waving over the whole situation, "we're going to Ridge Farm studio, soon." As he spoke, he handed each of the boys a small pamphlet.

Elise looked down at her lap, her hands cradling her mug of cocoa for dear life. She felt out of place and for a split second, she had wished that she never decided on going out last night. A flood of insecurities rushed through her head and she closed her eyes, trying to re-ground herself.

She felt as if she was on the verge of a panic attack and she sighed, opening her eyes. She remembered a small thing her mother had taught her when she was younger, a way to help get through it. She looked around, not raising her gaze enough to catch the eye of anyone in the room.

"Five things you can see," she thought. "My mug, John's platforms, small stain in the rug, door stop... and one of the pamphlets."

Elise didn't realise that the pamphlet on the ground was Brian's. She hadn't realised that a fight had broken out in the room because all she was focused on at that point was her tactic. "Four things I can touch. Roger's jumper, his track pants, Roger's knee, my mug." As she thought, her hand trailed over the things closest to her. She hoped that Roger hadn't noticed her fingers trailing over his knee faintly.

What she didn't know, though, was that her fingers were like fire, even through his jeans. He looked over at her and it felt as if his anger faded away, even for that split second, as his gaze fell on her. She didn't notice his eyes burning a hole into her skull as she tried to think of three things she could hear. Her eyes were closed, fingers clasped around her mug so tightly, she was afraid she'd break it.

"Two things you can smell..." she sniffed slightly, the smell of Roger's aftershave and her cocoa flooding her senses. "Aftershave and cocoa."

"One thing you can taste. Cigarette smoke." Elise thought. She opened her eyes and brought herself back to reality, taking a sharp intake of breath.

"Elle," John said a bit louder this time, catching her attention. He had been her friend long enough that he knew what it looked like when she was having a panic attack, but he knew not to bring it up in front of the whole band. "Can I show you something?"

Elise nodded and stood up, placing her mug of hot cocoa on the coffee table in the middle of her room. She held the wrists of Roger's jumper around her hands, fiddling with them as she walked over to John. He led her into the recording area of the studio and shut the door behind them, making sure no one in the other room could hear them.

"Are you alright?" John asked, placing his hands on her shoulders. 

She gave him a smile. "I am, now. Did my little thing, you know?" she giggled.

"Did it work?"

"I'm not shaking or crying, so, I'd say it worked," Elise told him. She pulled him into a hug and nuzzled her face into his hair, chuckling softly at the tickling feeling.

"Love you, munchkin," he told her, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. 

Elise smiled at the nickname. She had always been like John's little sister and she knew it—everybody knew it. It was easy to tell with the two of them because of how close they were, and how easily John took her side. 

When Elise's father had yelled at her the first time when she was thirteen, John had been the only one there for her, other than her mum. Her mum was as scared as she was, if not pissed off. John had held her as she cried and she ended up spending the night at his house for three days. He had promised her then that as long as he was with her, nothing would ever hurt her again.

John was Elise's safe place, and vice versa. The two of them were each other's confidantes and they'd never have it any other way. Veronica envied the relationship they had—she always jokes about how she wishes she could've had a best friend like them. Elise would always laugh and say, "well, you've got me!"

John and Elise had made a pact together when they were younger and Elise had her first boyfriend that nothing could tear the two apart. They promised that no one could ever get between them, and it's remained true. 

"Love you too, Deaks. Now, are you going to play a little something for me?" 

"Only since you asked so nicely," John chuckled and opened the door once more, calling out for the rest of the band. "Princess here wants us to play for her."

Freddie burst into the room seconds later, a large smile on his face. "I thought you'd never ask!"

-

Elise had been sitting in the studio with the boys for nearly four hours, laughing at their constant bickering and Freddie's high pitched squeals whenever he wanted them to shut up. It was usually Roger and Brian bickering and she couldn't help but laugh at how small Roger looked against Brian.

"Is this how it is every time you four try and record?" she asked John. He was sat beside her on the sofa with his bass in his lap, absentmindedly plucking at the strings.

"Every single time," he told her. "I just sit here and listen to them. Things get thrown a lot of the time—mostly Roger's drumsticks."

"What'll happen if I interfere?" Elise inquired. She always was a troublemaker. 

"You don't want to do that. You'll get your head snapped off."

She took that as a challenge and chuckled, standing from her place. John looked at her pleadingly, scared that she'd die. She winked at him and walked over to where the two were fighting, standing beside them with her hands on her hips.

Neither of them seemed to notice as she watched them, completely unsure of what they were fighting over. She had tried everything to make them see her; she had called out their names, poked at their shoulders—everything. 

Brian stepped back from Roger in the slightest, running his hands through his mess of curls. Freddie was sitting on the opposite side of the room to John, a smoke between his fore and middle fingers. "Elise, that's not a good idea—"

Elise had waved him off, standing in between the two arguing men. She had her back towards Brian and was facing Roger, who looked as angry as ever. "Roger Taylor!" she squealed, holding her hand at his chest. "Shut the hell up!"

He looked at her, completely wordless for a moment. Elise turned around and held her hand at Brian's midsection, considering she was much shorter than the man in front of her. "Brian May! Shut the hell up."

They both looked at her as if she had just murdered their families as she walked away, sitting back down beside John, who looked as stunned as the two men standing in the middle of the room were.

"What were you even fighting over?" she asked, running a hand through her hair. 

"He said my beats were off," Roger told her, pouting like a small child who hadn't gotten his way. 

"That's because they were!" Brian defended himself, raising his hands in the air. 

Roger mimicked him, raising his arms in the air and pulling a face. His shirt had ridden up slightly, revealing a very familiar hickey on his hip bone. It didn't go unnoticed by any of the boys and they looked at each other, deciding on leaving it alone. It didn't cross any of their minds that it had been Elise that had left that there last night.

Her cheeks immediately heated up at the thought of the things she'd done with him the night before. A small tingling feeling arose between her thighs and she shifted uncomfortably, trying to rid herself of the thoughts. She had liked the events of last night, but she knew they'd never happen again.

She knew that was just another one night stand of Roger's, and she didn't mind. What she didn't know, though, was that Roger had thought of her as so much more than just a one night stand.


	7. seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> filler oops,,,

Elise stood in front of her mirror in her bathroom later that night, wearing only her pastel blue nightgown. Her fingers trailed over the hickeys that Roger had decorated her chest with, quietly reminding herself to wear something that wasn't completely low cut whenever she was out.

Roger had left her with a sufficient amount of hickeys across her chest and thighs, as she did with him as well. He had hickeys across his hips and one on his collarbone, which was easy enough to hide. He'd also left bruises on her hips the size of his fingertips which were barely noticeable, unless they had been looking for it.

Elise chuckled to herself as she exited her bathroom, shutting the light off on her way out. As she was starting to put water in her kettle, the sound of her telephone causing her to almost drop it. It was nearly nine in the evening, who could be calling her?

She set the kettle down on her counter and made her way over to the small table where her telephone was, taking a seat in the armchair beside it. She picked up the receiver and was immediately met by none other than Roger's voice.

"Roger?" she asked, her fingers absentmindedly twirling in the phone cord.

"You left marks on me," he said, his smile evident in his voice. Elise chuckled and crossed her legs, making herself comfortable.

"You left them on me, as well. Was admiring the fingerprints on my hips just now. How'd you get my number?"

"I'm very good friends with Deaky, if you haven't noticed," Roger smirked. "'M supposed to relay a message to you from Freddie."

Elise lit up at the mentioning of Freddie. She'd taken a liking to him. "What's that?"

"You're supposed to come to a party we're having tomorrow, and you can't decline. Freddie doesn't take no for an answer."

Elise sighed, not really up for a party. She shrugged nevertheless and hummed, "okay. What time?"

"We could go together if you'd like? We could meet at my flat and I could cook you some dinner before we go?" Roger asked. His cheeks were flushed as he spoke. Brian was sat across from him and was trying his hardest not to break out in laughter—he'd never seen Roger that flustered.

Elise smiled. "You can cook?"

"You wouldn't believe how good I am at it, sweets," Roger told her. She chuckled and Brian looked at him with his head tilted. He shrugged and Brian got up from where he was sat in front of the blonde boy, making his way into Roger's kitchen. "I make a mean lasagna."

Elise broke out laughing at his last comment. "I'll see you tomorrow, Rog."

"See you," he said before hanging up. His heart seemed to slow down once he got off the phone and he sat back, sighing. Brian came back into the room and handed him a mug of tea before sitting back down where he was sat only a few moments ago.

"I'm really fucked, Brian," Roger mumbled, setting his tea down beside the phone and reaching into his back pocket for his smokes. He slid one from his pack and held it up to his lips, lighting it before putting them back in his pocket.

"I've never seen you like that with a girl," Brian replied, taking a sip of his tea. "Not even with, what was her name, Eileen?"

"Yeah, and I thought that was going to be the last time I'd ever feel for a girl. Now Elise is here, and I don't know what to do."

"You can't screw this up, no matter what. Don't touch her until you're sure. John would never forgive you," he said.

"I don't want to hurt her," Roger sighed.

"I know."

-

Elise reached over to her nightstand the next day, picking her bookmark up and placing it in her book. She had spent the last few hours curled up in her bed, reading her newest novel, Carrie. She'd almost finished it, but if she wanted to be at Roger's on time, it would have to wait until later.

She had done her hair up a while earlier, simply curling it and leaving it to set. She had taken the hair rollers out and was happy with its result, her hair falling at her shoulders in soft curls.

Elise had thought of what she could wear. She wasn't feeling in the mood for a dress, especially with the things she's heard on the news about people like Ted Bundy. Of course, she felt safe with John and his friends, but they couldn't keep their eyes on her all the time. She needed to feel safe with herself, so she decided on trousers instead.

She walked over to her closet and searched for her favourite pair of white ruffled flares. She had bought them to wear at John and Veronica's wedding but had opted out for a plain floral dress when Veronica had asked her to be a bridesmaid, so she had never had the chance to wear them.

Once she found them, she slid them over her legs and resorted back to her wardrobe, looking to find a halter top that'd look good with it. She came across a light blue one that she got for her birthday from Veronica one year and smiled, knowing it'd fit perfectly with her outfit.

As Elise was putting on her silver platform boots, her telephone rang. She cursed as she hopped out of her bedroom and into the lounge on one foot, managing to slip on her other boot before she got to the phone.

"Hello?" she asked, completely out of breath.

"Elise," Roger said, a smile on his face, though she couldn't see it. "I was just wondering if you wanted me to pick you up and bring you here."

Elise looked at the time and groaned, realising she was going to be late if she had to drive herself. "If you don't mind picking me up—"

"Of course I don't. See you in a few, yeah?"

As Roger was about to hang up the phone, he could hear her squealing on the other side of the line. "What is it?" he asked.

"You don't have my address," she laughed.

"Oh," Roger laughed. She gave him her address before hanging up, making her way back into her bedroom to find a jacket.

Ten minutes later, there was a knock upon the door of her flat, and she still hadn't found a jacket that would match her outfit. Elise made her way out to the small foyer of her flat and opened the door, smiling at the man in front of her.

"I've got a problem," she said, inviting him in. "I've no jacket that'll work with my outfit."

"Sweets, it's July. Do you need a jacket?" he said, his eyes trailing over her outfit. She looked as beautiful as ever, her outfit accentuating her curves in the most perfect way. Roger tried his best not to stare, but he knew his efforts weren't worth it.

"It's also going to be very late and cold by the time I make it home. Yes, I need a jacket," Elise said as if it was the most obvious thing in the entire world.

"Do you have a specific thing you're looking for?" Roger asked, tilting his head to the side.

She nodded. "I need something white that'll look nice with this," she told him, motioning towards her outfit.

He stood for a moment, thinking if he had anything that she might like. He thought of a white denim jacket that he wore to Japan and smiled, snapping his fingers. "I've got the perfect thing, if you'd wanna borrow it. Even if you don't like it, you could just snoop through my closet 'til you find something."

Elise looked up at him as if he was a god, beaming. "Really?" she asked, placing her hands on his shoulders. "You best not be messing with me."

Roger laughed. "Really. 'M not messing with you. If I'm honest, I love seeing you in my clothes," he told her, his skin on fire under her touch. She looked so happy at that moment and he wanted nothing more than to press her against the wall behind her and kiss her senseless, but he knew that that could've ended up a lot different than what he would've wanted. He didn't want to rush it.

"God, you're a life saver!" Elise squealed, throwing herself at him in a hug, her small arms coming around his shoulders. With her platforms on, she was nearly as tall as him, making the hug a little easier on her.

Roger's arms came around her waist and he buried his face in her hair, making sure not to ruin it. The hug lingered for a few minutes before Elise pulled away, looking at the blush on Roger's cheeks. She giggled and poked at his ribs teasingly before turning around to grab her purse off of the coat hook beside the door.

"Shall we?" she asked, linking her arm with his. He chuckled and nodded, opening the door for her and looking down at her with sparkly eyes.

As they were walking down to the car park, Elise looked at him with a thoughtful smile on her face. "Are you really going to make me lasagna?"

"Of course I am."


	8. eight

"Are you wearing that to the party tonight?" Elise asked Roger, motioning towards the black and gold blazer that was on the bench at the foot of his bed. She sat down on the edge of his bed as he rummaged through his closet, attempting to find the denim jacket that he was thinking of.

"What?" he asked, turning his head to look at her. She pointed at the blazer. "Oh, that? Yeah, I was thinking of it. Do you think I'd look good in it?"

"Oh, yeah. You'd look good in anything," she told him nonchalantly, shrugging her shoulders. Roger hummed happily, a blush spreading to his cheeks that he had hoped would fade away by the time he had found his jacket.

"Aha!" Roger cried out happily a few moments later, pulling the jacket from the coat hanger that it was on. He turned around to face, holding it up over his torso. "This would work perfectly!"

Elise stood up, walking over and taking the coat as he handed it to her. "Have you got a full length mirror?" she asked, sliding the white denim over her shoulders. She looked at Roger as she awaited an answer, the sleeves falling just over the heel of her hands.

"I do," he said, stepping towards her slightly. "You've—um—you've got a hickey there."

Roger faintly held his fingers up to the bruise on her chest, mostly hidden by her top. His touch was as soft as a feather, barely skimming over her skin. She closed her eyes, not quite sure what to do as he looked at his work.

"Would it bother you if I didn't try to hide it?" she asked, her eyes still closed. Her voice was quiet, soft almost, as if she was scared he'd get angry. He hadn't seen her this vulnerable, not even when she was pinned under him, completely naked, on his bed the other night.

"I wouldn't mind," he whispered. Things between them had gone from normal to something special, something he'd been hoping would happen. His hand came up to her rosy cheek, cupping it as she leaned into his touch.

Roger wasn't sure what he wanted to do. He wanted to kiss her, he wanted to tell her how he felt, but there was something stopping him. He was afraid that he wasn't good enough for her. He knew he wasn't—he knew that she must've heard every little story about him and his groupies, and that scared him the most. He knew that she probably thought of him just like everybody else did; someone who couldn't commit, someone who just wanted to sleep around.

He hoped, with every last fibre in him, that she didn't. He hoped that she'd give him a chance.

Elise pulled away after a moment of the two of them just standing. She had hoped he would kiss her, and he didn't. "Where's your bathroom?" she asked, looking up at him. His blue eyes bore holes into her brown ones, trying to regain himself before speaking. His voice would've failed him.

Roger cleared his throat softly. "'S just over here," he said, moving around her to show her the bathroom.

She followed him as if she was a lost puppy, mumbling a small 'thank you' as she walked into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. She took a look at herself in the mirror and sighed heavily, turning on his water faucet and splashing some cold water in her face.

Elise sat on his floor and pulled her knees up to her chest, panicking as everything hit her at once. She had promised her mum that she'd bring her boyfriend back home when she went for her birthday when they talked on the phone yesterday, a boyfriend that she didn't have. She knew that at this point, she couldn't back out, not with how her dad was.

She'd always wondered why her mum hadn't left him yet. He wasn't physically abusive, no, he was just very good with his words. He could easily manipulate both of them, and when something didn't go his way, he'd scream until his voice gave out. Elise had been scared of him since the first time he screamed at them, and up until now, she'd always had someone with her when she'd go visit them.

She thought of asking Roger if he'd come with her. She could've asked Brian, had he not been with Chrissie, but she wasn't nearly as close to him as she was with Roger. She'd only met the boys a few days ago and she felt like it was too much to ask, but she had no other way out.

She stood from her spot and took a deep breath before opening the bathroom door, making her way, quite slowly, to the kitchen where Roger was stood, placing his lasagna on two plates.

Elise decided that she'd ask him to be her date later on. Right now, all she cared about was her lasagna.

-

"Thank you for letting me borrow your jacket," Elise said as she and Roger pulled into the very full car park near the bar where Freddie had decided on hosting his party at.

"'S not a problem, really. You look better in it than I ever did," he told her, unbuckling his seatbelt and opening his door, stepping out and making his way over to her door to open it before she had the chance. She smiled up at him and stepped out, the slightly cooler air wrapping around her.

"Shall we?" she asked, a bright smile on her face. She wasn't one for parties, but she wouldn't pass up a chance to be with John and his friends—not anymore, at least. She was glad, now, that John had forced her to go meet them that night. Everything felt different when she was with them.

Roger nodded and absentmindedly took her hand in his, intertwining their fingers together as they walked across the road. Elise's thumb rubbed against his knuckles, a substitute for her fidgeting habits when she got nervous.

Right as they walked into the building, it felt as if they were smacked in the face with not only the smell of cigarettes and alcohol, but also the smell of sweat as everyone danced around to the best of their ability. Roger kept his grip on Elise's hand, making sure she wouldn't get pulled away by the mob of people as they tried to find the rest of the band.

As soon as Elise laid her eyes on John, she retracted her hand from Roger's and practically ran into John's open arms. It was how she greeted him at this point, no matter how long it had been since they had seen each other last.

"Hello, munchkin," John smiled, his arms holding her tightly against him. She buried her head in his hair, something she usually did when she hugged him and sighed.

"I missed you!" she squealed as Roger finally made it over to them. He sat down beside Brian and ordered himself a beer, deciding once again, that he needed to stay sober to take Elise home. Brian looked at him with his head tilted and he shrugged, only nodding towards the girl that was with John.

"You've only been away from me for a day," he chuckled. "I've missed you, too."

"I know, but we usually call once a day, and I wasn't able to!"

Elise laughed at her own comment and sat down beside John, checking her pockets for her smokes. "Fuck," she muttered, realising that she had left them back home. "Can I lend a smoke from either of you?"

Roger nodded and quickly pulled out his cigarettes, passing her one. She placed it loosely between her lips and he got his lighter, lighting it for her with a smile. "Thank you," she said.

"So, Elise," Brian beamed, "there's supposed to be a meteor shower later on next week, would you be interested in watching it with us? I've got a perfect field near my flat we could watch it at, maybe I could teach you some things about the stars?"

Elise looked as happy as she possibly could be at that moment. She was glad that he wanted to include her in things—it made her feel less of a burden. "I'd love to! Are you sure you don't mind me butting in with your band time?"

Brian laughed, "I'm sure, and you wouldn't be butting in. We adore you."


	9. nine

Elise sipped on her gin and tonic, her legs crossed as she listened to Brian and John tell her about their tour in Japan. She'd no clue where Freddie had run off to, but John had shrugged it off and said that he was probably going around making new friends and being his usual party-animal self, which just made her chuckle. 

"Freddie got this tiny hand game thing from one of our fans, I think it was called something like cup and ball. It took him a couple tries to get it in the cup but once he did, he was ecstatic," Brian told her. Her eyes lit up as she laughed, lightly hitting John in the shoulder. 

"That reminds me of the time we played badminton and you won," Elise told him, her eyes glittering like they never had before. "We'd play every day after school in my back yard, and one day, he actually won. I've never seen him that happy."

Brian laughed as John opened his mouth to protest. "She's so good at it! It's not my fault that the one time I won I got excited! I even remember the date," he said, nodding his head once. "It was her birthday, the twenty-seventh of July—she had just turned seventeen." 

Roger looked at Elise as John told them her birthday, his face contorted in slight amusement. "That's in less than two weeks," he said.

"It is," Elise shrugged. It wasn't that she hadn't wanted them to know, but more that she just hadn't felt like bringing it up. Of course, John knew, and she knew she had to inevitably tell Roger if she wanted him to be her date.

"You hadn't told us!" Brian exclaimed, a shocked look on his face. She chuckled at his reaction and shrugged once again.

"'S not really a big deal, I won't be here for it anyways," she told them. Brian and Roger looked at her with an expression that mirrored confusion, where John already knew that she'd spent every second birthday with her parents since she moved out. 

"What?" they asked.

"I'm going to my parents' house for a few days."

"You're saying, we just met you, and we can't even throw you the best birthday party ever?" Brian asked, taking another swig of his beer. Elise only laughed and nodded, watching as he fake-frowned. 

"I'm not one for parties anyways," Elise said.

"You're so much like Deaky," Roger pointed out. "When we first met him, he was shy as all hell. Never wanted to be at parties and wouldn't talk very much at large gatherings." 

Elise looked at her best friend and he chuckled, pushing his long hair from his face. "Just like you were when we were younger," John told her. 

Through the years of Elise and John growing up together, he had been the one to help her with her fear of speaking in a crowd. The only one she was ever really open with was John, up until she was nineteen when she decided that she'd need to spread her wings and try to make friends if she didn't want to end up third wheeling John's relationships her whole life.

"Little Elise was shy? Could never have guessed," Roger laughed, his hand absentmindedly falling on her thigh, just above her knee. She moved her hand from where it was in her lap and placed it over his, rubbing over his knuckle lightly with her thumb. 

"I'm not now, thanks to bubble here," she said, nodding her head towards John. She had come up with the nickname 'bubble' for him a while back, just because they always loved playing with bubbles. It just stuck.

"I thought you claimed that it was because you didn't wanna be third wheeling with Veronica and me!" John exclaimed, causing Elise to nearly choke on her gin and tonic.

"You weren't supposed to tell anyone that!" 

The four of them spent another two hours sharing stories and memories from when they were younger, making each other laugh harder than they ever had. John was telling them stories of how he and Elise used to race around the block on their bikes, and she told them that he'd fallen off when he tried to round a corner too sharp and fell onto a bunch of rocks, cutting his hand open. Elise never let him forget that. 

It was nearly two in the morning when Brian and John had finally decided to go home, leaving Roger with a slightly intoxicated Elise. John had offered Elise a ride home but Roger had insisted he could take her, mostly because he wanted to spend the extra few moments with her. 

"'M so tired," Elise mumbled, leaning onto the blonde beside her. "Will you take me home?" 

Roger chuckled and stood up, pulling her up with him. He snaked his arm around her waist and her arm went up around his shoulders, steadying herself. She wasn't drunk enough that she wouldn't remember anything tomorrow but mixed with how tired she was, she was scared that her legs wouldn't be able to carry her.

"Rog," she whined as they got out into the cold, making their way over to his car. "Can I sleep over?"

His heart jumped at her question, a sudden feeling of want rushing through his veins. It wasn't that he wanted to sleep with her—he revelled in the feeling of waking up with her beside him. "Of course," he said as they finally reached his car, opening the passenger door for her. She slid in and smiled at him as he shut it, walking over to his side and getting in.

The drive between the bar and Roger's flat wasn't very long, and it was filled with small hums from Elise as she listened to the radio. Her eyes gleamed as they passed buildings and trees, enjoying how everything looked at night, all lit up.

Roger held Elise by her waist as they made their way into his flat, the easily recognizable smell of cigarettes and the lasagna they had earlier hitting her like a tidal wave. He shut the door behind her and started chuckling as she fiddled to take her boots off. 

"Can I sleep with you?" she asked, her voice soft. "I like the way your hair feels against my skin." 

"If you'd like. Do you want to borrow some clothes?" he asked, taking her hand in his and leading her towards his bedroom. She was exhausted and he could tell. 

"Please? They're so cosy..." she trailed off, giggling. Roger couldn't help himself as he chuckled, pulling out a longer t-shirt from his closet. When he turned around, she was stood wearing only her black knickers, which were barely enough to cover anything. She was shameless—Roger had seen her naked before.

"H-here," he said, stumbling over his words as he handed her the shirt. She smiled and slid it over her head, looking down at the bottom of it, falling mid-thigh. 

"Can I ask you something?" Elise asked, tucking herself into his bed as he stripped from his outfit, quickly sliding on a red plaid pair of pyjama bottoms. 

"You just did. What is it?" Roger replied, causing a soft chuckle to fall from her lips. He turned the light off and slid into bed with her, his hand placing itself on her waist softly as she turned to face him.

"You remember how my birthday is in a little bit and I've got to go to my parents?" 

"Yeah?" Roger's fingers traced small circles on her waist and she closed her eyes, relishing in the feeling. 

"I might've told my mum that I was going to bring my boyfriend. My boyfriend, that doesn't exist..." Elise mumbled, trailing off. "Could you come with me? Pretend to be my boyfriend, please?" 

Roger could feel his heart begin to beat rapidly, Elise's eyes screwed shut. She was scared he'd reject her, but how could he? It meant he could hold her, kiss her, and do all the things he's wanted to since he's met her, without having to admit his feelings to her. 

Roger wasn't good at feelings—everyone knew that. Everyone except Elise.

"I understand if you don't want to. I mean, we did just meet and all, I'm just scared of my dad and how he'd react to me lying and—"

"Elise, of course, I will. You needn't worry," he told her, cutting her off. She opened her eyes and smiled, moving closer to him and burying her face in his bare chest.

"Thank you," she mumbled as his arm wrapped around her, holding her as close as he could. He was scared that this was all a dream and that he'd open his eyes, and she'd be gone.

"Anything for you, flower."


	10. ten

Elise was laid on Brian's sofa later the next week with John between her legs, her hands tangled in his brown locks. Freddie was sat beside Roger on the loveseat beside the sofa and Brian was sat at the end of the sofa with John's feet in his lap. 

The five of them were gathered around the lounge, two boxes of pizza open on the coffee table, both practically empty. They were waiting for the sunset so they could go get cosy in the field as they waited for the meteor shower, and Elise had never been as excited as she was at that moment. 

"Can I braid your hair?" Elise asked John, her fingers lightly dragging over his scalp. 

John swallowed his pizza before replying. "Course. Have you got a hair tie?" 

"I've always got one on my wrist," she smiled, showing him her wrist. He nodded and started eating his slice of pizza once more, lifting his feet as Brian went to stand up. 

He walked over to the window by his loveseat as Elise began to twist and braid John's hair, sighing lightly. "'S almost sunset, which means it's almost time to go," Brian said, excitement dripping from his voice.

"Darling! Have you got the blankets and such?" Freddie asked, a slice of pizza in his hand. "Have you got the cupcakes?"

Freddie had insisted on buying cupcakes for their little night in the fields, claiming that it wasn't a party without either cupcakes or alcohol. Brian had talked him out of alcohol because it was a public place and it wasn't allowed, so he insisted on cupcakes, and had bought twenty-four of the most luscious cupcakes in all of London. 

"Of course," Brian chuckled. 

Roger was sat with his legs crossed, a cigarette dangling from his pink lips. He was more excited for the night to be over and to meet Elise's parents the next day, even though he was quite excited to see the meteor shower with her and his friends. 

Over the last week, Roger had been trying his best to conceal his excitement. He had been trying to stop smoking all the time after Elise had told him how much her parents—mostly her dad—had hated smoking, and he'd been trying to calm himself every time he got angry over the smallest things. Even if it was all just pretend, he wanted to make a good first impression.

Elise giggled as she tied her hair tie around the end of John's braid, smiling at her work. "Let me see!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands like a giddy child. 

John moved from her lap and sat where Brian was once sat, looking around at the three of them. "Do I look beautiful?" 

Freddie and Roger laughed and John turned to Elise, who looked proud. "Most beautiful man I know," she laughed.

"What about me?" Roger asked, holding his hand over his heart as if he was wounded.

"Yeah, what about me?" Freddie pouted, causing a small chuckle to fall from Elise's lips.

"Well, you're the most attractive man I know," she said, pointing at Roger with her pinkie, "and you, you're the most everything man I know. Don't tell anyone, but you're my favourite," she told Freddie.

Roger's cheeks turned red and John looked at her with fake shock, his mouth wide. "I can't believe I'm not your favourite anymore!"

"What's going on in here?" Brian asked, walking back into the lounge with a blanket for each of them. 

"Elise said I'm not her favourite!" John whined, looking up at the taller man as he passed him a blanket. 

"Who's your favourite then? Me?" Brian asked, chuckling. He handed out the rest of the blankets and closed the pizza boxes, stacking them on top of each other and moving them to the counter in his kitchen. 

"She said I was her favourite," Freddie said proudly, standing up and throwing his jacket on over his shoulders. "'S it time to go?"

"It is," he replied as he went back into the lounge. "I thought I was your favourite."

Elise smacked her hand against her forehead as she stood up. "Maybe Roger's my favourite now—he's the only one not teasing me!" 

"That's because he fancies you," Brian mumbled under his breath, going unnoticed as the five of them put on their jackets and shoes, getting ready for the meteor shower that was due to happen in just a few minutes.

Roger took Elise's blanket and placed it atop his as she grabbed the cupcakes from Brian's fridge. Everyone was holding something as they made their way out of Brian's flat and down to the field that they would watch the meteor shower in. 

The stars shone down on them as they set up their blankets, Roger and Brian deciding on laying on their blankets rather than wrap themselves in them like John, Elise and Freddie were. 

It wasn't long after they had arrived that the meteor shower had begun, Elise looking up at the sky with wide eyes and a bright smile on her face. She was laid between John and Roger, her head on Roger's chest while her legs were entangled with John's, Roger's arm wrapped around her softly.

He had been paying more attention to Elise and the way she lit up at the sight of shooting stars. He was studying her face, studying the way her eyes glittered when she smiled, and the way they crinkled at the corners when she smiled as wide as she did.

He noticed small things about her that could be easily missed, had he not been paying as much attention as he was at that moment. There was a small freckle right beside the bridge of her nose, and the dimple on her left cheek was more prominent than the right. Her cupid's bow was very defined and at that moment, all he wanted to do was kiss her like she was his air. 

And he would, tomorrow. Tomorrow he'd be able to hold her and kiss her and be with her, just as much as he wanted to.

-

Elise went home later that night with a bright, lingering smile on her face. She had never experienced a meteor shower like the one she just had, especially not one where Brian was pointing out the constellations between meteors. It was about eleven in the evening when she'd finally made it home, having taken longer than the boys as she lived quite a ways away from Brian.

She quickly changed into a hoodie and a pair of pyjama bottoms that her sister, Mason, had bought her for her twentieth birthday. She was too excited to go to sleep at that moment, despite how tired she felt and the nerves for the events that would take place tomorrow.

As she was waiting for her water to finish boiling, the phone had rung. It scared the bloody life out of her and she tried to catch her breath as she made her way over to the small table where it sat, picking up the receiver, only to be met with the sound of Roger's voice.

"Are you ready for tomorrow? Packed, and all?" he asked, slightly stumbling over his words. He was nervous as well, but the excitement had overtaken his nerves. A smoke dangled loosely between his lips as he waited for a reply.

"I've got everything ready, except for my toothbrush—" Elise was cut off by the sound of her kettle whistling, causing her to curse aloud. "I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere."

Elise placed the receiver on the table and quickly ran out to the kitchen, taking the kettle off of her stove and pouring some of the water over the tea bag in her mug. It took her about five minutes to clean everything up and return to the phone, but when she did, he was still there.

"I'm back. Yes, I'm all ready. Are you?" she asked, taking a small sip of her tea. 

"I think I've got everything. Do you still want me to pick you up tomorrow?" 

"If you don't mind, please..." her voice was soft as she spoke, trailing off faintly. "Hey, Rog?"

"That's me," he chuckled, "what is it?" 

"Thank you for doing this for me—you know, pretending to be my boyfriend and all. It means a lot to me. You mean a lot to me," she told him. It felt as if a zoo of butterflies erupted throughout his stomach at her words and a small smile appeared on his face.

"Of course, Elise. I'll talk to you in the morning, yeah?" Roger asked, running a hand through his long hair. She was going to be the death of him, he's sure.

"Okay. Goodnight, Rog. Sleep well."

"Sleep well, flower."


	11. eleven

Elise had barely slept that night, tossing and turning every ten minutes due to the nerves for the day ahead. She swore that she'd seen every hour on the clock that night. She'd managed to drift off at some point, only for her alarm to wake her up about thirty minutes later, causing her to groan.

She slid her legs from her bed and slid her slippers on, yawning tiredly as she got up. It was nearing on seven in the morning, which left her an hour and a half until Roger would arrive to drive her back home.

Elise tiredly sat down on the armchair beside her telephone and pulled a smoke from her pack, placing it between her lips and lighting it before she dialled John. She fiddled with the ring on her left hand as she waited for him to pick up. She knew he was awake, mostly because he always woke up with Veronica before she had to go to work.

"Elise?" John asked as he picked up the phone, "are you alright?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine. Just needed to talk to you before I go, you know?" she stuttered, taking a drag of her cigarette. "Nerves are killing me."

John was the only one that knew Elise's full reasoning of why she invited Roger to her parents. Freddie and Brian knew that he was acting as her boyfriend but neither of them quite knew why, whereas John knew how scared she was of her father.

"You'll be okay, munchkin. If anything goes too foul, you could always phone me, you know that," he told her, "Roger will keep you safe."

"Can we have a sleepover once I get back? Do you think Vera would mind?" Elise asked, her voice small once more. She butted her cigarette in the ashtray beside the telephone and sighed, running a hand through her messy hair.

"I don't think she'd mind that much," John laughed. "I love you, you'll do great."

"I love you too. Do you have Brian's number, by chance?"

"I'm his bandmate—of course I've got his number," he said, the sarcasm evident in his voice.

Elise rolled her eyes playfully as he gave her his number, wishing her well at her parents before hanging up, leaving her with Brian's phone number written on her hand. She made a mental note to call him once she arrived at her parents, thanking him for the brilliant night she had last night.

She made her way into her bedroom once more, stripping from her pyjamas and sliding into a clean hoodie and the pair of joggers Roger had lent her and she had "accidentally" forgotten to give back. She pulled her hair up into an extremely lazy ponytail and considering she'd be stuck in Roger's car for nearly three hours, she wanted to be as cosy as possible.

Her mum had promised to pay Roger whatever it had cost for petrol and despite him telling her she really didn't have to, she would anyways. Roger had joked with Elise that she definitely got her stubbornness and persistence from her mum, and she'd always laugh, arguing that she was most definitely not stubborn.

Elise's train of thought was interrupted by three quick knocks on her door, signalling that Roger had arrived. She took the cigarette she had between her lips and held it between her index and middle fingers as she opened the door, a small smile on her face as her eyes fell on the blonde in front of her.

"I haven't actually woken up this early in quite a long time," Roger said, "I'm surprised I'm even standing."

She laughed and moved to the side, inviting him in. "I didn't sleep last night, so if I fall asleep on the way there, I'm very sorry."

"'S okay. My sister always falls asleep on road trips, it's not something I'm very worried about," he told her as he stepped in, his eyes raking over her outfit. "You're wearing my joggers again."

"I am. I hope you don't mind—they're just so cosy," she chuckled, holding her cigarette out for him to take.

"I don't mind at all," he told her, taking a drag of her smoke before passing it back to her. "Have you got everything ready?"

Elise nodded and butted her cigarette, leaving it in the ashtray as she led him to her bedroom. She had already put her shoes on before he had got there, making sure that as soon as he arrived, they could get up and go.

Roger helped Elise carry her few bags down to his car, locking her flat door behind her before they had gone down to the car park. Within fifteen minutes of Roger being at her flat, they had left, pulling onto the motorway.

Elise's fingers tapped nervously at her thighs, a habit she had picked up from Roger over the last week. He was always tapping at something if his hands weren't busy—something Elise thought came with being a drummer. He glanced over at her fingers as he drove, a small smile playing on his face.

"You took up my habit," he pointed out, making Elise snap from her daze.

"Hmm?" she asked, looking at the blonde man beside her.

"You've taken up my habit of tapping things."

"Oh," she said, suddenly becoming aware of her actions, "I guess I have."

The rest of the trip was quiet. Elise had fallen asleep once they had left the outskirts of London and the only audible noise was the hum of cars racing past Roger's and the soft whispers of the radio. He hadn't turned it up as he knew Elise didn't get much sleep, and he wanted her to be as rested as she could be.

"Elise," he whispered, shaking her knee lightly as he drove into a small town near Cardiff where her parents lived. "Love, you need to wake up."

Elise opened her eyes slowly, adjusting to the brightness of the sun shining through the clouds. "We're here already? I've been asleep this whole time?" she asked, her voice groggy.

Roger chuckled, his fingers tapping against the steering wheel. "Yes we are, and yes you have."

"Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to sleep the whole way—I hadn't really even realised I was asleep," she apologized frantically, pulling down the visor and making sure she didn't look too overtired.

"Don't worry about it," he said, turning onto the street where her parents lived. "That's the house, yeah?"

"Yeah, that'd be it," Elise sighed. Her heart began to race and she fiddled with the ring on her left finger once more, her nervousness extremely visible as they pulled into the driveway.

"I don't know what's got you so nervous, but if you want to talk about it, I've got you, yeah?" Roger said, placing his hand on her knee once he had shut off the transmission.

"Thank you, Rog. I'm sure you'll find out sooner or later, and I'll tell you once it comes up," she smiled, her hand placing itself over his.

"What're fake boyfriends for?" he chuckled, a small pressure weighing on his heart. He wished it wasn't fake. "Come, let's get inside and relax."

"Yeah, yeah. Okay," Elise replied, unbuckling her seatbelt. "Thank you again, Roger."

"Of course, petal."


	12. twelve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> tw// speak of emotional abuse

Elise walked up to the door of her childhood home with her bags in hand and her heart racing faster than it ever had. She turned her head to look at Roger, who was stood behind her, almost as if she was asking if they could go home. He held both of his bags in one hand, placing his free hand on the small of her back.

"You'll do okay. I'm here," he reminded her, leaning over to press the doorbell. Elise smiled at him and waited for someone to open the door.

"Ellie!" Mason exclaimed as she opened the door, a wide grin on her face.

Elise dropped her bags on the ground and launched at her sister, quickly enveloping her in a hug. "I've missed you!"

Mason giggled as she looked at Roger, who was somewhat chuckling at the two girls. "Is that your boyfriend?" she whispered, keeping her in her hold.

"It is," Elise replied, pulling away from her grip. She bent down and picked up her bags once more before glancing at Roger, smiling.

"Come in," Mason said, moving from the doorway and letting the two travellers into their home. Roger followed Elise in with his hand still on the small of her back, excited to meet her family. 

As Mason showed the two of them their way through the house and into Elise's childhood bedroom, she whispered in Elise's ear, causing her to laugh. "He's very handsome, you know?" 

Elise nodded, turning to Roger and winking before looking back to Mason. "He is, isn't he?"

Elise laughed as they made their way into her bedroom, a sigh falling from her lips as she placed her bags down, releasing the strain from her muscles. Roger placed his bags beside hers and sat down on the twin bed that was by the window, bouncing up and down as if to test the mattress.

"I'll leave you two to it, then," Mason said, stepping out of her bedroom. "Mum and dad should be home in a half an hour. Come down when you hear them arrive, please." 

The scared look in Mason's eyes was one that Roger knew all too well. He could feel himself get angry at the memories and at just the mere thought of it, but he tried to calm himself for the sake of Elise. 

Elise nodded and Mason shut her bedroom door behind her as she left, leaving her to her thoughts, and Roger. She turned around and looked at him, the small smile on her face quickly disappearing as soon as her eyes landed on him.

"Roger, what is it?" she asked, sitting down beside him. She turned her body to face him, crossing her legs and resting her hands in her lap. 

"The reason why you were so nervous..." he asked, trailing off as he tried to think of his words. "Is it because of your parents? Did something happen?"

Elise felt her heart stop at his words. She hadn't necessarily been planning on telling him much about her father's ways, as she didn't want anything to go wrong while they were there. She hadn't opened up to anybody about the things she'd been through in her childhood except for John, and she wasn't really sure how to talk about it.

"I—yeah. Kind of," she whispered. Her voice was small and she was looking down at her hands in her lap, and it was as if she was scared to talk about it. "It's not my mum, it's just my dad."

"Has he ever hit you?" Roger was scared of what he would do if he found out that anybody had laid a hand on her. He turned to look at her and felt his heart break at the small tear that was rolling down her cheek. 

"No," she said, "no. He's never hit any of us. It's not physical."

Roger shifted on the bed, sitting with his back against the wall. He pulled Elise onto his lap softly and just held her for a moment, brushing her hair out of her face as she told him everything she could. 

It felt good for her to talk about it—it acted as a release for her. Elise felt that her problems were valid because Roger was listening to her. Throughout her whole life, the only one who hadn't made her feel like she was overreacting was John. He had been there to see some of the damage her father had done to not only her but her mum and sister as well.

Mason was the reason that Elise was born. When Mason was three, she had been whining constantly that she wanted a baby sister or brother to keep her company, as their parents never let them have pets. It took a lot for Mason to finally talk them into it, but once Elise was born, she was the happiest little girl ever.

Elise and Roger's thoughts were interrupted by her parents' car driving into the gravel driveway, indicating that they needed to go downstairs. Elise looked at Roger once they had stood up from the bed and he instinctively took her hand, a smile on his face. As long as he was with her, she'd be safe. 

The two of them made their way downstairs and sat on the sofa beside Mason, who was watching an Audrey Hepburn movie on the tele. Elise's hand remained in Roger's, his thumb rubbing circles on her knuckles. She cuddled into him to look more as if they were really together, and his breath hitched, happy with the small display of affection.

"Elise's here already?" her father called from the doorway, kicking off his shoes. "She's never early."

"Honey?" her mother yelled, hoping that Elise was really there. 

"In here, mum!" Elise called back, her hand grasping tighter at Roger's absentmindedly. 

"I've got you," he whispered. 

Elise's parents came into the room a few moments later, a worn out smile on her mum's face. Her father looked as unamused as ever as he sat down in his armchair, ruffling at his hair. His black hair clashed with his old, tired face, and he looked as if he had been done with the day before it had even started.

"Hello, mummy," Elise smiled, letting go of Roger's hand momentarily as she stood up to hug her mum. 

"I've missed you, dear!" her mum exclaimed, her small arms holding Elise against her. 

"I've missed you too, mum," she smiled. As she pulled away, Elise was about to sit down before her father called after her. 

"What, I don't get a hug?" her father asked, his voice scruffy. Elise closed her eyes and rolled them behind her eyelids before standing up once more, walking over to the man in the armchair and bending down to hug him.

Her father's hand rested lowly on her back, leaving a disgusting taste in Roger's mouth. It took all he had not to get up and deck him right there, but as much as he wanted to, he knew it wouldn't look good for him. He was supposed to be her boyfriend, after all. 

"Missed you, dad," she said foully, pulling away and going back over to her spot on the couch between Roger and Mason.

Roger immediately took her hand back in his and pressed a small kiss to her cheek before whispering in her ear, "just go with it." 

"This is Roger, my boyfriend," she said, introducing the man to her parents. Elise's mum lit up, holding her hand out for Roger to shake. 

"Hello, love. I'm Diane, it's nice to meet you," she smiled as Roger's hand left Elise's, only to greet the older woman in front of him.

"'S nice to meet you as well, ma'am," Roger said, a smile on his face.

"I'm Walter," the man in the chair said, nodding his head at Roger. He replied with a small smile and a quick hello before sinking back into the couch, pulling Elise into his side.

"How'd you meet Elise?" Diane asked, coming back into the lounge with a chair from the kitchen. She sat down on it near the sofa that Mason, Elise and Roger were sat at and practically ignored the existence of her husband. 

Roger chuckled, knowing that it'd be a very long story, even if Elise would've been able to explain it within ten words. He crossed his legs and rested his head on the hand that wasn't holding Elise's waist and began to talk, telling Diane the story of how it had taken him and the rest of the band over a year to finally get John to talk Elise into meeting them.

Elise looked at the man sat beside her as he talked about her with such a great passion and she sighed. Butterflies erupted in her stomach and she knew she shouldn't be milking it for all it was worth—she knew that it was just a masked performance so that her parents would believe everything without suspicion. 

But, Roger wasn't putting on a performance for her parents. Everything he was doing was real—everything he felt for Elise was real. She'd never know that, though. As much as she may have wanted it to be, she knew it would never happen with Roger. He wouldn't want someone like her. He's a rockstar and Elise? She was just John's best friend.


	13. thirteen

Elise found herself in the hallway upstairs a few hours later, perched on the chair beside the small table with the telephone on it. She held the note which contained Brian's phone number in her hand as she dialled, her heart warming at the sound of Roger and her family laughing downstairs. 

"Hello?" Brian said into the phone, "who's this?"

"'S just me, Elise," she laughed, "I'm not some creepy old person that wants your toes."

Brian laughed at that, a smile overtaking his face. "Hey, girlie. How's your day going?"

"It's going well, I suppose. Roger's getting along very well with my family—it's quite cute, actually, how he's telling all these stories about you two in college, making my mum laugh harder than she has in a while. I just miss you guys, you know?"

Elise had grown close to the band over the two weeks that she'd been spending with them. She'd spent almost every day with them since John had taken her to their gig for the first time, and she rather enjoyed their company. Brian had grown especially close to her and had made her feel like she belonged.

"We miss you too, love," he smiled. "Freddie's going insane without you here. Says he misses his sassy girl."

"Do you have his number, by chance? I'll give him a call before I go to sleep," Elise asked. She missed Freddie as well, and she'd promised him that as soon as they got back she'd go clothes shopping with him.

"Yeah," Brian said. He gave her his number and she wrote it down before they continued on their conversation.

"Thank you," she smiled. "The sky's really clear here tonight, I think I may go look at the moon once it gets dark."

"That sounds magnificent," he said excitedly. "I got you something for your birthday that I hope you'll find as interesting as I did. Was thinking that maybe we could look at it once you get back, and I could teach you about it."

Elise smiled and felt as if she was a child in a candy store. She didn't expect any of them to get her anything—her birthday was something she found unimportant. "You didn't have to get me anything, Bri."

"Oh, be quiet," he laughed, "I saw this while I was going to get more film for my camera, I thought it'd be something you'd enjoy, and it is your birthday anyway."

"You're too kind," she chuckled. Roger made his way up the stairs and peeked around the corner to see if Elise was up there, his eyes landing on her immediately. Elise's attention shifted to him and he nodded his head, indicating that dinner was ready.

"I've got to go eat dinner," Elise told Brian, her fingers twisting in the telephone cord. "I'll call you again soon."

"Have fun, make sure Roger doesn't explode," Brian laughed. "See you, Elise."

"See you!"

Elise hung up the phone and stood up, smiling at Roger. "Dinner's done?"

"It is," he said, walking up the stairs and following her into her bedroom. She placed the note with Freddie's number on it on her desk and turned around rather abruptly, her chest hitting Roger's accidentally.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, her breath hitching as she looked up at him. She could feel his breath on her cheeks and he smiled, his hands gripping at her waist, steadying her.

"'S alright," Roger mumbled. The two of them stayed like that for a moment as he debated on kissing her.

"We should get down there before dinner gets cold and we get in trouble," Elise said softly, her hand grasping at his gently. Roger let out a small sigh as she turned around, pulling him from her bedroom and back downstairs.

"What's taken you so long?" Mason asked as she sat down between her mum and dad.

Roger chuckled, covering for her. "Ellie here was asleep."

"They weren't supposed to know that!" she giggled, taking a seat beside him. "Ellie, huh?" she whispered once they had sat down, her hand resting on his knee.

"'S your nickname, isn't it?" he replied, a smug grin on his face. Her cheeks turned red and she smiled, looking down at her plate as Diane passed around the basket of bread rolls, the table remaining silent as they set up their plates.

Once everyone had their plates set up with their dinner, Walter decided to spark up a conversation. "So, Roger," he said, his voice full of what sounded like venom, "what made you choose Elise?"

Diane looked at her husband with a shocked expression. "Walter," she muttered as a warning. Elise took a bite of her chicken and stayed silent, hoping that Roger would ignore it.

"What? He's a world famous rock star, and he's picked Elise as his girlfriend! I've just got to wonder why?"

Roger was getting angrier by the second and Elise swore she could feel the heat radiating from him as he gripped his cutlery tighter with each passing moment. She moved her hand from her lap and placed it on the middle of his thigh, sighing happily as he began to calm down a bit with her touch.

"Well, Mr. Rudd," Roger started, smiling with a fake sweetness, "I've chosen your daughter because not only is she the most beautiful girl I've ever met, but she's got the sweetest, kind-hearted soul I've seen. She loves me for who I am, not because I'm a 'rock star' or because I'm famous. She sees the good in me where others don't, and she genuinely makes me happy."

Roger wasn't saying that just for the sake of proving her father wrong. He'd been speaking the truth. "She's everything I could've ever wanted and much, much more. I'm lucky as hell to have her in my life, and I'd like to think that she's changed me for the better."

Elise blushed and looked at the boy with a glint of hope in her eyes. As much as she knew he'd only been saying that because of their 'arrangement', something about it told her that maybe, just maybe, her feelings could one day be reciprocated.

Elise shook the thoughts from her head and sighed. She couldn't even understand her feelings for Roger.

Walter looked at him as if he'd just slapped him across the face. He smiled at the man and Diane was gushing at the way her daughter looked at him, and how he felt about her.

"That's the most adorable thing I've ever heard!" Diane squealed happily.

"You could have anyone you could dream of, and you pick someone as dull and ugly as Elise. I just don't understand it."

The words that came from Walter's mouth felt like a stab in the heart to Elise, because they were true. Roger could have anyone he wanted, why would he want Elise? She retracted her hand from Roger's thigh and placed them back in her lap, the entire table staying quiet for a moment.

Elise wasn't quite sure why she was so upset at the words her father spoke. They hadn't been the worst things he's said to or about her, and she couldn't grasp why it had bothered her so much. She'd been called ugly before. She'd been called dull before. It wasn't anything new.

Roger was completely flaming beside her. He could tell how much Walter's words had affected her and he was angry; angry at the fact he'd say that about someone he loved with all of himself, and angry at the fact she'd believed such lies. He wasn't angry at her—no, he was angry at him, and only him.

"I mean, she's quite stupid to think you wouldn't cheat on her. Going on tours and having all those groupies all over you all the time, why wouldn't you?"

That had been the last straw for Elise. Or, maybe, it was because her mum wasn't doing a damned thing to shut him up. She stood up from her chair and turned around, slamming the dining room door behind her as she left.

Tears were falling from her cheeks as she ran up the stairs and into her room, shutting the door and sliding to the floor with her back against it. Roger hadn't followed her up the stairs, he'd been sitting in his chair at the dining table with his mouth agape.

Within seconds of Elise being in her room, she could hear the sound of Roger's voice echoing through the house before he stormed up the stairs, his heart sinking at the barely-there sounds of Elise sobbing behind her door.

"Please, open the door," he whispered, resting his head against the wood. She sniffled and moved away from the door, opening it briefly so that he could slip in.

Roger lifted the girl gently and sat down on her bed, setting her down in his lap. Elise clung to him as if he was her source of life and tears poured down her face silently.

"I want to go home."


	14. fourteen

"I'll pay for petrol, just... please, Rog. I don't want to be here anymore," Elise whispered, the sound of Roger's heartbeat pounding through her mind as her head rested on his chest. She was sat down on the bed with her legs thrown over his, his arm holding her as close to him as he could.

"'S alright," Roger spoke softly, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "I've got it. Have you unpacked anything?"

Elise shook her head, "no. Everything's still in our bags, except for a small note on my desk with Freddie's number on it."

"Come on, flower," he said, lifting her off of the bed gently. "We'll go home. Do you want me to carry your things?"

Elise hadn't packed that much if she was honest. She'd packed the necessities in one bag that was just a little bigger than the size of a purse, and she had her clothes and camera in a suitcase that wasn't all that big either.

"I've got it, I think," she said, going over to her bags. She slipped the note which had Freddie's number on it into the pocket of her hoodie, reminding herself that she'd have to call the boys once she got home.

"Elise," Roger whispered, catching her attention. She turned around and looked up at the blonde man, a smile adorning her face at the brightness of his eyes. She'd always been in love with his eyes—they were the brightest blue eyes she'd ever seen and if she could, she'd stare at them for the rest of her life.

"What is it?" she asked softly, her hands moving to his chest to steady herself. 

Roger didn't say a word. He lifted his hand to her cheek and wiped away her tears with his thumb, his face contorted in concentration as he ran his digit across her skin. She leaned into his touch and moved her hands from his chest to his shoulders, pulling him in for a hug.

His arms latched together around her waist, holding the girl as tightly as he could. "Thank you, Roger," she spoke as she backed away. 

"Anything for you, flower. Now, shall we?" 

Elise giggled and the two of them made their way downstairs, Roger's hand holding hers protectively. He'd be damned if he let anyone hurt her ever again. As they were about to enter the foyer to leave, they were stopped by her parents, a sad look on Diane's face while Walter had a simple smirk on his.

"You're leaving already?" Diane asked. 

"'M sorry, mum," Elise said, "we are."

"Makes sense," Walter sneered, "you never could handle anything thrown at you. Always running from your problems, aren't you?" 

Elise tensed up, her hand gripping tightly at Roger's. She looked down at the ground for a moment before deciding that it just wasn't worth the hurt anymore. She looked back up at her mum and gave her a faux smile, nodding curtly. 

"We'll be off, now. Nice to see you," she spoke. Diane could feel her heart break at how cold and distant her daughter was being, but she knew that it was because of Walter. 

She knew that she needed to leave him eventually. 

"Don't bother coming back, Elise. You're not welcome here until you get rid of that scum," Walter scowled, motioning towards the man stood beside her. 

"Screw you, Walter," she spat as she and Roger wove their way around Diane and walked out.

"Happy birthday, Ellie," Diane said softly into the void. Elise and Roger had already left the house and were in his car, leaving Diane alone with Walter. A small tear slipped from her eye as she watched them pull away from her driveway, and farther away from her home.

"You've done it now," she said, looking up at the tall, abusive man beside her, "haven't you?"

-

"I think it'd be best if you stayed over tonight," Roger told her as they neared closer to the heart of London, where he lived. "If you want—that is."

"Could I? I don't want to bother you, Rog. I've been with you an awful lot lately, wouldn't want to interfere with your life or anything," she shrugged. She did enjoy sleeping with Roger and the way he'd always wait until he thought she was asleep to pull her close and kiss her head as softly as he could, but she didn't want to butt into his life. 

"'S really not an issue, I like having you over," he told her honestly, a genuine smile on his face. 

"Are you sure? I'm fine to be alone," Elise asked. 

"I'm sure, petal," he nodded as he pulled into the carpark near his flat. His hands were gripping at the wheel tight enough for his knuckles to go white due to the mixture of emotions rushing through him. 

Roger was still angry at the things her father had said about her. He was angry at himself for not standing up for her to the best of his ability, even though he had yelled at him until his lungs gave out, and he was angry that he had tortured Elise enough in the past that she had started to believe his every word. 

Though, through the anger, he was also excited. He was excited to be able to hold Elise again, even if he would've been able to back at her parents' house. He had spent the last three hours trying to think of a way to make Elise's birthday worthwhile and had to think of it quickly as her birthday was the next day. He'd have to call Brian once they got into his flat to set everything up.

"I really appreciate you letting me stay over," she smiled at him as they made their way inside his home. He hummed happily and dropped his bags on the floor just inside his bedroom before taking Elise's and placing them by his closet for easier access.

"Do you want some tea or anything?" Roger asked, watching her hang her jacket up. 

"No, thank you, though. Could I possibly take a quick shower?" she replied. Her voice was small and she looked up at him with bright eyes, causing butterflies to erupt through Roger's stomach.

"Yeah, 's alright, go ahead," he told her. She smiled gratefully at him as he sat down on the edge of his bed. She pulled her hoodie over her head and placed it over her bags, shivering slightly at the sudden cold air. 

"Roger?" she asked, turning around to face him. She was just in his joggers and a tank top now, but she felt more exposed than she ever could be. 

"What is it, petal?" he inquired, standing up to meet her. She moved closer to him and pressed her hands against his chest softly, closing her eyes as if to further contemplate the actions she was debating.

"Do you trust me?" Elise spoke softly. 

"I do." 

Elise stood on her tiptoes and ghosted her lips over his faintly, waiting to see if he would pull away. Roger's heart missed a beat as he pulled her in, closing the gap between them and kissing her with as much passion as he could possibly give. His hands fell to her waist and held her tightly, a soft whine falling from her lips. 

Her body exploded under his touch, goosebumps rising on her skin. There was electricity between the two of them, she was sure. She had kissed him to see if her feelings were real, and God, were they ever.

She pulled away, suddenly embarrassed at what she'd just done. "I'm—I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that..." she whispered, Roger's hands falling from her waist. He was left there, speechless, as she stripped off the rest of her clothes before making her way into the bathroom. 

Elise already knew where his towels were, which meant she didn't have to ask. She closed the door behind her and looked in the mirror at her flushed cheeks, sighing. "I really shouldn't have done that, he'll never want someone like me," she thought.

Roger sat down on the edge of his bed once again, running a hand through his long locks of honey hair. The sound of the running water from the shower turning on was the only sound audible throughout his flat, but he swore that if one listened enough, they would be able to hear the sound of his heart beating against his ribcage.

"If you didn't notice," he whispered into the void, mostly for himself. Most of him wished that Elise could hear him, but he knew she couldn't.

"I kissed you back."


	15. fifteen

"Freddie! You've seriously got to be quieter," Roger whisper-screamed, hitting his friend's arm with the back of his hand.

"You'll wake Elise!" John told him, his voice as quiet as possible.

"I'm sorry! I'm excited!"

The four of them were scattered around Roger's kitchen table at eight a.m. the next morning, trying to make the most perfect breakfast for Elise's birthday. Roger had called Brian late last night while she was in the shower, hoping that he could muster up a good enough plan to make up for the incident with her family, and thankfully, he had.

Freddie was stood at the stove with a spatula in his hand, cursing under his breath as the grease from the bacon he was cooking splattered at him with his every move, his empty hand on his hip while John was placing purple dahlias in a clear vase on the dining table—Elise's favourite flowers.

Roger was going through his record collection, trying to find a particular record that just had soft melodies on it. It was one that his sister had given him a while back and he had only listened to it maybe twice, but he felt that it'd fit the day. Once he finally found it, he placed it atop his record player but waited to turn it on until he woke up Elise.

Brian, being the most organised and neat person there, was sat on the floor by the dining table, wrapping the presents that each of them got her in a bright blue wrapping paper. His long legs were crossed as he wrapped the small book he'd gotten her as perfectly as he could.

"Breakfast's done," Freddie mumbled after a few moments, sliding the bacon onto a larger plate beside the pancakes and hashbrowns he'd made a little earlier. They'd decided on not making eggs as Elise hated them and they weren't too fussy on them, themselves.

"Should I wake her?" Roger asked, still standing by his record player. Brian was standing now, placing the presents that he'd just wrapped on the kitchen island, stacking them as nicely as he could.

"Yeah," John said, "we'll get everything put together and cleaned up by the time you're out with her."

"Thank you, guys. I really do owe you," Roger smiled thankfully as he turned the record player on, waiting until the soft music played throughout the room.

"You're really head over heels for her, aren't you?" John asked, tilting his head to the side. Freddie was sat atop the kitchen island beside her gifts, kicking his legs all about, a bright grin on his face.

"Don't try and deny it, Rainbow," Freddie chuckled, "we all know you love her. Why haven't you asked her out, yet?"

"She deserves someone much better than me, Fred. Even her father suggested that I'd just cheat on her anyways," he sighed. "She's too good for me."

John laughed sarcastically, as quiet as he could. "Roger, she's just as crazy over you as you are over her. Her father is a piece of shit, he's said that to every boy she's ever brought home."

"But my reputation—"

"Rog, you wouldn't hurt her. When was the last time you even thought of anyone that wasn't her?" Brian asked. Roger looked down at the floor, shifting slightly. "Exactly. You haven't let a single girl touch you since you've met Elise."

Roger knew he was right. There were always multiple girls throwing themselves at him, and for the first time in a very long time, he shoved them off. The thought of anyone touching him other than Elise made his skin crawl.

"You're right," he said. "I dunno. I'll figure it out, yeah?"

"We know you will," Freddie laughed. "Go wake up Elise before all my hard work goes to waste," he told him, motioning towards the food he'd spent the last half hour cooking.

Roger chuckled and nodded, walking over to his bedroom door and opening it as quietly as he could. He turned back at the boys for a moment and pressed his index finger to his lips, silently telling them to be quiet as they finished up the small touches.

Roger shut the door behind him and gently sat down on the bed beside his sleeping beauty, revelling in how peaceful she looked for a moment. He rested his hand on her arm and shook her awake lightly, a smile on his face as she stirred awake.

"Hello, flower," he mumbled, helping her sit up. "Happy birthday, darling."

"Thank you, Rog. Why'd you wake me? I'd much rather stay in bed all day," she asked with a fake pout on her face, trying not to giggle.

"Come on, you've gotta get up. If you don't, I might just have to carry you myself," he shrugged, poking at her side playfully.

"Only because I don't want you carrying me and making me knock my head into walls," Elise laughed, sliding out of bed. She walked around to her bags and shuffled through it for a pair of pyjama bottoms, the cold air on her legs making her shiver.

Roger watched her as she slid a pair of black checkered bottoms on, fluffing her hair in the slightest before turning around to face him. "Am I pretty?"

He laughed wholeheartedly and nodded. "You're always pretty. Come on, there's something I'd like to show you."

He pulled the drawer of his nightstand open and picked up a soft scarf before closing it once more, striding over to the birthday girl. "Close your eyes," he whispered, placing the scarf over her eyes as a blindfold.

"Are you going to make me walk into a wall?" Elise asked, holding her hands out in front of her as Roger led her into the kitchen.

"No," he chuckled, "I've got to open the door, please do not walk into it."

She let out a squeaky laugh as he opened the door before continuing to walk through the small flat and into the kitchen where Brian, Freddie and John were standing around the kitchen island, a wide smile on each of their faces.

"Did you get me a giraffe? I don't see the need for a blindfold," Elise whined, her hand flying to Roger's bicep as she nearly tripped.

"You don't see the need for a blindfold because, petal, you're blindfolded. You can't see."

Elise stopped in her tracks and turned her head towards Roger's voice, her mouth open. "You absolutely fucking suck at jokes."

Freddie had a hand clasped over his mouth, trying his best to hold in his laughter at Roger's joke. Roger chuckled and stepped in front of Elise, his hands coming up to her blindfold. He carefully untied it and balled it up in his hands as Elise adjusted to the lights, blinking her eyes over and over until she could see.

"Surprise!" the four boys exclaimed, throwing their hands in the air. A wave of joy washed over her as she looked around the room, everything hitting her at once.

"You all did this? For me?" she asked, tears brimming in her eyes. John walked over to her from where he was stood at the kitchen island, holding his arms out for his best friend.

"We did," he smiled as she walked into his embrace. His arms wrapped around her as tightly as he could and she buried her face in his hair, giggling as it tickled her face.

"I love you," she choked out.

John pulled away from her. "I love you, too."

"Enough with the sappiness! I spent a half hour cooking this food and if we don't hurry and eat it, it'll be cold!" Freddie whined, taking a seat at the dinner table.

Elise chuckled and moved to sit down beside him, a bright smile on her face as she pressed a friendly kiss to his cheek. "Thank you, Freddie. Thank you, all. I'm so grateful for you guys."

"Thank us with hugs later, yeah?" Brian laughed, motioning between him and Roger as the three of them sat down. "Haven't even seen the presents we've gotten you."

"If I find a giraffe in one of those boxes, someone is getting hit."


	16. sixteen

"Who knew Freddie could cook?" Elise laughed, leaning back in her chair and pushing her plate forward on the table slightly.

"I can cook some things, I just can't boil an egg," Freddie told her.

"Doesn't it have something to do with hot water?" Roger asked as he ate the last slice of bacon on his plate. He was the last to finish and Elise broke out laughing.

"I can't believe you two don't know how to boil an egg. It's easier than knowing your own name," she said. 

John snorted, "apparently it isn't for them."

Elise had to admit that she was having one of the best birthdays she's ever had. She had laughed more in the last half hour than she had in the last year and she felt good. 

John, Brian and Freddie stood up, taking their plates into the kitchen, collectively deciding to leave Elise with Roger for a moment. She turned to the man beside her and smiled, her heart warming at everything he's done for her. 

"Happy birthday, petal," Roger chuckled, pulling her in for a hug. She buried her face in his chest, the smell of his cologne enveloping her. Once she pulled away, she noticed how dressed up he was, and how underdressed she had been. 

Roger wore a black, long-sleeved button-up, with the first four buttons undone and the sleeves rolled to his elbows. It was tucked neatly into a pair of black trousers that fit him perfectly, and Elise was practically drooling over him at this point. All she wore was her pyjamas.

"Thank you, Rog. For everything," she said softly. 

"Now," Brian said, turning around to face them. "Do you want cupcakes or presents first?" 

Elise giggled giddily and clapped her hands as if she was a small child, "both!" 

Not long after, Brian walked over to the dining table with a tray of cupcakes balancing on his hands. He set it down in the middle of the table and sat down as he waited for John and Freddie to manage the presents.

Elise watched with joy as her two best friends attempted to balance her presents in their hands without letting them drop on the way to the table. They placed them in front of her and she felt like a damned princess.

"You guys seriously didn't have to do this for me, you know?" she told them honestly, pulling her left leg under her right, making herself more comfortable. 

"Maybe we didn't have to, but if you haven't quite noticed, I love parties," Freddie chuckled, "even if they are just for us."

Elise chuckled and rested her elbows on the table, holding her head up with her propped hands. "Where do we start?"

John immediately passed her the gift that he'd made for her. She let out a small giggle and took it from his hands, placing it on the table in front of her. She looked like a giddy child on Christmas as she ripped through the wrapping paper, pulling the black leather book out and balling the wrapping paper up.

She opened the black leather book and was immediately brought to tears as she recognised the small polaroids that were enclosed in the laminated pages of the book. There were photos of him and her when they were ten, playing in a field near Elise's childhood home, photos of them when they were thirteen sharing an ice cream cone with ice cream dripping down John's chin—there were photos of them that Elise didn't even know existed.

"Deaks," she chuckled through her tears, "this is so amazing. Thank you."

"Anything for my little munchkin," he smiled, reaching over the table and ruffling her hair playfully. "Flowers were also my idea since I know how much you love dahlias."

"And only the purple and orange ones," she winked, causing the two of them to break out laughing. "Which one next?"

"Mine!" Freddie squealed happily, handing her the box that contained his gift. None of the guys knew what he had gotten her, but knowing Freddie, it had to be something extravagant. 

Elise giggled at his excitement and ripped the wrapping paper from the box before pulling the top off of it. Inside was a simple, black velvet covered box that sat atop a light blue fabric. She looked up at him for a moment, a bright smile on his face. 

"Go on, open it!" he said, clapping his hands. It seemed as if he was the most excited out of the group, and it was quite contagious. She smiled and picked up the small box, opening it as carefully as she could.

Her mouth dropped as her eyes fell on the small silver band that was laid inside the box. It was a simple chain bracelet with a bar in the middle, a word she'd never seen before engraved on it: soror. She guessed it might've been in another language, but it was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen. 

"Freddie..." she said, looking up at him once more. "This is so beautiful."

"It says 'sister' in Latin, since you are like our sister. I thought you might like it. I know you're not having the best time with your family lately, but darling, you've always got us." 

Elise felt her eyes fill with tears again. John had been the only one to ever care for her that much and she looked back down at the bracelet in her hand, beaming. "I love it. I love you guys."

"I'll help you put it on later," he winked. Elise chuckled and closed the velvet box, setting it down on the table in front of her before pulling out the blue fabric. 

She let it extend, watching as it fell nearly to the ground. It was a light blue floral sundress that would end mid-calf and was surprisingly the exact size to fit her. It had a built-in brassiere and was tighter around the waist but poofed out at her hips.

"You spoil me," she laughed, holding it to her chest closely. She was so thankful for it—John had told Freddie her dress size and how much she adored sundresses, she just never had many of them. Freddie had no idea what to buy her and John was as helpful as could be.

"You'll look absolutely dashing in it!" Freddie said honestly. She laughed and folded it back up, placing it in the box and setting it on the table so that she could open the last two presents.

Roger and Brian glanced at each other as if to ask which present would be given next. Roger nodded his head towards the other man and Brian smiled, picking up his gift for her and passing it to her. 

"'S not much, but I thought you might enjoy it," Brian told her, suddenly self-aware of the gift he'd given her. It wasn't nearly as glamorous or heartfelt as Freddie's or John's, but he hoped that she'd enjoy it. 

"I bet you I'm going to enjoy it as much as I enjoy your company," she giggled, ripping the wrapping paper off once more. Inside was a roughly 200-page book on basic astronomy—something he'd picked up when he was going to get some groceries for his flat.

"Brian, this is brilliant!" Elise exclaimed, flipping through the pages and looking at the photos of each of the main constellations. She wasn't going to admit it, but it was the best present he could've ever given her.

Brian felt elated at how happy she was with the book. A huge grin broke out on his face and he sat back, crossing one of his legs over the other. "I thought that maybe one day when you have time, of course, we could go out and I could teach you about the stars."

"Would you really?" she asked happily. "I'd love that!"

He chuckled and nodded, and finally, it was time for Roger's gift. She placed the book down beside the rest of her gifts and took the one that Roger had been waiting to hand her. His bright eyes sparkled and she giggled, making quick work of the wrapping paper.

He'd placed her present in a perfectly sized box. She lifted the lid off of the box and clasped her hand over her mouth at the gift, shock and happiness running through her. "You didn't!" 

"I did," he chuckled, his heart swelling at how happy she looked.

"What is it?" John asked, raising his eyebrows.

Elise picked up the book from the box, not noticing the note that was taped to the inside of the box yet. She showed the other three the front cover—it was a signed copy of 'The Best of Fritz Leiber', a book that she'd been trying to get her hands on for months. 

"You love him!" he said happily. "How'd you get that?" 

"I have my ways," Roger winked, his hand falling on Elise's knee. She looked at him with a giddy smile before going to place the book back in its box.

Her eyes landed on the note and she tilted her head slightly, confused as she read it. 

'Turn to page 73' it read, a small heart under the words. She looked at Roger and he just nodded towards the book, his hand squeezing lightly at her knee. She inhaled sharply and opened the book, flipping to the page that the note had told her to.

Inside the book, there laid another note. She read over it quickly and felt her cheeks heat up at the words scribbled onto the small piece of paper.

'I've got another present planned for you later, just you wait,' it read, this time a wink under the writing. She looked at Roger and chuckled lightly before turning back to the rest of the boys, placing the book back in the box it came in.

"Cupcake time?"


	17. seventeen

Elise spent most of the day lounging around with Freddie, Brian, John and Roger. They'd eaten most of the cupcakes by lunch, spending the rest of the day whining about how full they were. Much to John's dismay, she had opened the photo album he'd gotten her and placed it in the middle of the floor in Roger's lounge, the five of them sat around it as if it was a fire.

She was telling them the stories behind each photo, their laughter filling the room. Elise had to admit—it had been the best birthday she'd ever had. Brian was telling her stories and memories of John that she'd never heard before while Freddie had been telling her stories of Roger and how he'd once got angry at one of their gigs because the power had gone out, and how he threw his drumkit across the stage, nearly hitting Freddie in the back of the head.

Elise laughed at that. She'd never thought that drums were that easy to pick up and just toss wherever one would like, but then again, she didn't know that much about drums. She only knew how heavy John's bass was, and man, that was the heaviest thing she'd ever held in her hands.

It was nearly seven p.m. when the boys had left, leaving Elise alone in her pyjamas with a still very much dressed up Roger. She shut the door behind the boys after waving goodbye, leaning on it with her back turned against it, resting her head. She closed her eyes and stood with a dreamy smile on her face as she went over the events that had happened over the day. 

Roger stood in front of her, watching as she smiled to herself. "I do believe I promised you another present," he told her softly, holding out his hand for her to grasp. She smiled and took his hand, letting him lead her into his bedroom.

"Don't tell me you did get me a giraffe," she laughed as he sat her down on his bed, placing her hands over her eyes. 

"I promise you, it's not a giraffe," Roger replied, making sure she couldn't see. She crossed her legs and kept her hands over her eyes, waiting for his okay to look. 

He strolled around the room slowly, turning on the few lamps he had and shutting off the overhead light, leaving a dim look in the room. He wanted to make everything as perfect as he could for Elise. 

He rummaged through one of the drawers in his dresser, pulling a small box from a pair of his boxers. He'd been hiding it there since before they'd left for her parents' house and luckily Elise hadn't found it while she'd been trying to find his pyjama drawer. 

Brian had planted the idea of the night in his head as a joke one night when they were drunk, and he'd been the only one that knew what his plan was for her. At first, Brian thought he'd been joking as they came up with it when they were absolutely shitfaced, but once he realised that Roger was serious, he helped as much as he could.

"Did you run away on me?" Elise asked jokingly, her hands clammy from being held to her eyes for so long. 

"No," Roger said, "I'm still here. Just a few more moments, yeah?" 

"Okay," she replied, her voice small. 

Roger opened the box to make sure it hadn't been accidentally broken or anything, and smiled at the look of it. He hoped that Elise would like it as much as he thought she might. He gave one last quick look around the bedroom, making sure everything was exactly the way he wanted it to be.

He wasn't one for grand gestures—everybody that knew him knew that. He'd never been a big fan of surprises, but maybe that was because he hadn't had the best childhood and whenever he received a surprise, it wasn't what one thought of when they thought of surprises. 

He knew Elise needed something to cheer her up, though, which is why he was trying to make everything as perfect as he could. It might not have been much but he hoped that she'd appreciate it, as it'd taken him a lot to plan it all out without accidentally spilling anything to her or the rest of the band.

Roger approached Elise slowly, the box trembling in his hands. He dropped to his knees in front of her and opened the box once more, taking a deep breath. "You can look, now."

When Elise opened her eyes, she was met by a shaky Roger holding out the box. His eyes were somewhat glossed over and the box wasn't steady in his hands—she could tell he was scared. Her gaze drifted towards the item laying in the box and her hand immediately clasped over her mouth, an almost broken sob falling from her lips.

Inside the box was a plain gold necklace with a small blue diamond lying in the middle of it. It was one she recognized, one she'd been looking at every time she'd pass the jewellery store by the studio they recorded in. She had wanted to buy it for herself for an early birthday present, but it was way too expensive for her wallet. 

"Roger..." she whispered, trailing off. 

"From the day I laid eyes on you, you've been driving me insane. I don't know what it was about you—what it is about you, but you've always got me on my toes. You've always got me laughing at something or learning something new. There's never been a dull moment in my life since I've met you, and I'm so fucking thankful for you."

"I know I don't have the best track record with girls. There's no doubt in my mind that you've read the constant newspaper articles about how I've always got a different girl on my arm every time I'm out. I haven't let a single girl touch me since I've met you. There's just something so...different about you. The thought of anyone touching me in any way that isn't you drives me insane. It makes my skin crawl, even."

"I don't want anybody, except for you. So, as cheesy as this is, would you be my girlfriend?" Roger finished, exhaling deeply. 

By that time, Elise had tears openly pouring down her face, falling onto her hand. They weren't exactly tears of sadness—quite the opposite, really. She'd never thought in a million years that Roger would go for someone like her. She was a nobody while he was the most handsome drummer of their time. 

Elise gulped, removing her hand from her mouth. "Yes," she croaked out, standing up as he did. "Yes." 

Roger placed the box down gently on the bedside table before picking Elise up by the waist, hugging her close to him and spinning her around. He was absolutely elated. As much as part of him felt that he was overdoing it, he was afraid that she'd turn him down. 

Roger had never been one for relationships; not that Elise knew that, though. He'd asked out one girl in the past ten years and she'd broken his heart. Maybe that was why he was so afraid of commitment. It didn't matter anymore, though, because he vowed to himself that he'd do everything in his realm of possibility to keep her as close to him as he could.

He set Elise down on the ground before roughly pressing his lips to hers. The kiss was full of something Elise had never experienced before; it was full of passion, hunger, even. His lips meshed with hers perfectly and she let out a small whine as his hands held her waist tightly, afraid she'd slip through his fingers. 

Elise felt that their kiss lasted years, even if it had only lasted a few moments. She would've still been kissing him had their need for oxygen not gotten in the way, her forehead resting against his as they tried to fill their lungs with oxygen once more.

Elise's hand came up to his cheek, stroking it softly as she sighed happily. "Could you put the necklace on me, please?" 

Roger nodded and took the necklace from the box it was in, holding it up to make sure he had it facing the wrong way. Elise moved her hair up so that he had easy access to her neck, placing it softly on her skin, clasping it behind her head as gently as he could. She let her hair down to one side and he leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to her neck. 

A moan slipped from her lips as his mouth found her sweet spot easily. Roger was done for right then, spinning her around in his grip and moving her up against the wall near his bed. His lips found hers once more and his knee finding its place between her thighs.

"Tell me if you don't want this," he mumbled, pressing hot, open-mouthed kisses across her jaw, slowly making his way down her neck.

"I want this," she whined. "I want this more than I've wanted anything in my life, Roger."


	18. eighteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> smut!

"I want this," she whined. "I want this more than I've wanted anything in my life, Roger."

The words that fell through Elise's slightly parted lips ran circles around Roger's head as he kissed his way along her jaw, nipping at her soft spot just under her jaw. His knee was placed firmly between her legs and she could feel the heat pooling in her knickers, eliciting a small whine from her as he marked her as his.

Elise's hands came up to his hair and her nails scraped at his scalp faintly, weaving their way through the dirty blond locks. He lifted his head from her neck and looked at her, his ocean blue eyes clouded with lust. She pulled him closer to her and closed the gap, needing to press her lips against his. 

Her hands roamed across his chest, falling to the few buttons that were buttoned up. She made quick work of unbuttoning them, Roger quickly pulling away to shrug it off of his shoulders. 

"You should wear those more often, like that," Elise whispered, running her fingers along his torso lightly. "It does things to me."

"Yeah?" he chuckled, his hands falling to her waist as he switched places with her, turning her towards the bed and backing her into it until the back of her knees hit the bed. "Like what?"

She fell back, quickly inching her way up the bed until she was sitting straight up against the headboard. Roger stood at the end of the bed, watching as her fingers lightly played with the end of her t-shirt.

"Why don't you come..." she teased, trailing off as she slowly pulled her pyjama shirt over her head, leaving her torso completely bare, "and see?"

Roger's breath hitched in his throat as he crawled up the bed, settling himself between her slightly spread knees. He kissed her lips passionately, his hand cupping at her cheek softly. She leaned into his touch, her fingertips dancing across his shoulders. 

"Let me make you feel good," he whispered, nipping at the soft skin under Elise's ear. She let out a needy whine as his fingers slipped past the waistband of her pyjama pants, easily tracing her folds through her soaked knickers. 

The second that his long digits made contact with her throbbing core, her back arched and she moaned out, desperate for more. She bucked her hips into his hand, earning a small, dark chuckle from the man on top of her.

Roger's hard-on was prominent now, straining through the tight material of his trousers. As he removed his hand from its place in her bottoms, Elise took charge and flipped the two of them over so that she was sat comfortably on his lap. 

"I like it when you get feisty," he chuckled, throwing his head back as she nipped at the skin under his jaw. 

"'S not fair," she said between the hot, open-mouthed kisses she was placing along his neck, "I'm all marked up and you've not got one single mark on you, yet."

"Mark me, then," he told her, tangling his fingers in her hair as she sucked particularly harshly on his sweet spot, just above his collarbone. He groaned and bucked his hips up into hers, a moan falling from her lips at the feeling of him pressing against her clothed heat. 

She pulled away, looking proudly at the small amount of damage she'd done. She removed herself from his lap and began kissing her way down his torso, letting her lips linger just above his waistband as she unbuttoned his trousers.

"Ellie," he whimpered, running a hand through his tousled hair. "Don't tease, please."

She giggled softly, kind of enjoying the sound of Roger begging. 'Another night,' she decided in her head as she hooked her fingers in his waistband, silently telling him to lift his hips for a moment. 

He complied and lifted his hips enough for her to yank down his trousers along with his boxers, eliciting a hiss from his mouth as the cold air hit his hard cock. She tossed his clothing off into another part of the room before looking up at Roger through her lashes as innocently as possible.

As soon as his eyes landed on hers, she slowly wrapped her mouth around his tip, the taste of his salty pre-cum hitting her tastebuds immediately. She continued to look at him as she bobbed her head up and down, variating the intensity of her sucks as she went.

Roger's hands flew to her hair, moans and whines coming from his mouth. His hips bucked up and she gagged slightly as the tip of his dick hit the back of her throat. He threw his head back, tugging at her brown locks of hair as she continued to go down on him, her tongue swirling around his shaft to the best of her ability.

Before she knew it, he had pulled her away from him and flipped the two of them over so he was on top of her, her legs spread under him. She whined as he sucked a hickey on the valley of her breasts, his fingers coming up and teasing her nipples. Once he was satisfied with his mark, he moved and enclosed his lips around one of her nipples, his fingers pinching at the other lightly.

Elise's back arched off of the bed and into Roger's touch, causing him to chuckle lightly. He pressed hot, open-mouthed kisses down the middle of her stomach and down to the skin between her hips where her pyjama bottoms were resting. 

"Are you sure?" he asked once more, tucking his fingers into the waistband of her trousers. 

"Yes, please, Rog. Do something," she whimpered, lifting her hips for him to strip her. 

He smiled darkly before shedding her of her pyjamas and knickers, his forefinger immediately swiping through her folds, collecting her juices. "Such a pretty girl," he mumbled, looking up at her as he sucked his finger into his mouth.

He slid his middle finger into her wet hole, eliciting an almost pornographic moan from the girl under him at the sudden friction. Her back arched as he attached his mouth to the soft skin on her inner thigh, biting down faintly and teasingly. It would be a mark that only the two of them would ever get to see.

Roger slid another digit into her before pressing a soft kiss to her clit, watching as she writhed on the bed, her hands grasping at the sheets so hard she thought she might rip them. She was so close—she needed more.

"I need you," she whispered softly, bringing him up to kiss his slightly bruised lips. She could taste herself on them and she let out a small whimper at the loss of contact as he pulled his fingers from her dripping core.

"As you wish, darling," he smiled, kissing her once more as he slid on a condom he had reached for from his nightstand. 

Elise spread her legs invitingly, propping herself up on a few pillows as Roger slowly began to enter her, the feeling of his cock stretching her out almost making her cum right there. She threw her arm over her mouth and moaned loudly as he began to thrust, his pattern soon becoming relentless.

It didn't take him that long to get as close as she was. He pressed a calloused finger to her small bundle of nerves as he pounded her, her legs wrapping around his waist as she neared her orgasm faster than expected. 

"I'm close," she mustered out, her words nearly being cut off by a moan. 

"Cum for me, flower," he whispered, nibbling softly at the skin under her ear. His fingers and thrusts sped up as she began to cum, her walls tightening around Roger as he rode out her high.

Not long after, Roger had released into the condom, pulling out as gently as possible as he knew how sensitive she was. Elise lied on the bed, trying to regain her breath as he tossed the condom into the bin. He made his way into the bathroom and came back rather quickly with a warm washcloth in his hand and a warm smile on his face.

"That was amazing," she told him, jumping slightly at the roughness of the washcloth against the sensitivity between her thighs as he cleaned her up. 

"Sorry," he muttered softly before backing away, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. "It was. You were amazing, love."

Elise's heart fluttered at the pet name, pulling the covers over her somehow cold body as she waited for Roger to return to the bed. 

"Sleep over?" he asked, climbing into the warmth of his bed with his girlfriend, "please?"

"How could I ever say no to a face like yours?" she giggled, cuddling up to the blonde man beside her. He draped his arm over her waist and held her as close to him as he could, an everlasting smile plastered on his face. "Besides, it isn't like you were going to let me go anyways."

Roger laughed. "That's true, dear. Can't begin to think of what I'd do without you."


	19. nineteen

Elise woke up the next day tangled in Roger's sheets, his arms draped over her protectively. She smiled to herself as she lightly rolled over to face him, trying her best not to accidentally wake him.

Memories of the day before flooded through her mind as she watched the blonde man sleep peacefully in front of her, soft snores falling from his slightly open mouth. Her fingers came up to the necklace that rested lightly on her collarbones and she smiled as she felt it under her touch.

She rolled over onto her back once more and looked up at the ceiling with an everlasting smile on her face. Roger's arm was still lightly laid upon her bare stomach as he stirred, slightly beginning to wake up. He blinked thrice in a weak attempt at adjusting to the light from the light outside. The sun wasn't out as there were too many storm clouds but it was still considerably light in his bedroom compared to the light it had when they had fallen asleep the night prior.

"Good morning, smiley," Roger said, his voice hoarse and still drunken with sleep. "What's got you in such a good mood?"

Elise rolled over for the third time that morning and faced him one more, her fingers coming up to tangle themselves in his long golden locks. "Just...everything, you know? Yesterday was the best day of my life, and I'm just thinking of it."

He leaned forward a little, pressing a soft, chaste kiss to her lips. "It was the best day of mine as well. I get to have you all to myself, now," he told her, chuckling. He pulled her in closer and nuzzled his face in her neck, his arms holding her as close as humanly possible.

"As if I wanted anyone else since the day I met you," she said, rolling her eyes playfully. A faint shiver crawled up her spine and she whined, the cold air hitting her harder than she'd expected. It was the first of August, but it felt as if it was the middle of December.

"Cold?" Roger asked, his voice sending small vibrations through her body.

"A little," she replied. He pulled away from her for a quick moment to retrieve his comforter from the end of the bed, pulling it up over the two of them. She smiled and held herself close to her boyfriend, enveloping herself in his warmth.

"Do you want breakfast?" Roger's breath was hot on her cold skin as he spoke, peppering the skin of her collarbones in light kisses. There were purple marks scattered across her entire body, some covering her neck, collarbones, and a small trail leading down to her core. She had a small mark on the insides of each of her thighs and reminded herself that she had to be careful with what she wore.

"I'd love some," she said, suddenly realising how hungry she actually was. "D'you reckon we could share a smoke? Haven't had one in a while, and I like sharing."

Roger chuckled. "Of course, darling." He slid himself out from under his covers and pulled out a fresh pair of boxers from his drawer. Elise couldn't help but stare at his backside dreamily while he slid the fabric over his body. "Like what you see?"

"Oh, yes. Very much," she giggled, making her own way out of bed. She rummaged through her once neatly packed bag, trying to find something to wear. Happily, she pulled out a pair of plain blue knickers and a simple white sundress. 

He walked over to his girlfriend and snaked his arms around her bare waist, pressing a kiss to her shoulder. "Rog, what're you up to?"

"Enjoying the view," he whispered shamelessly, running the tips of his fingers along the small stretchmarks that decorated her lower stomach. She shivered and looked down at his hands, a feeling of insecurity pulsing through her veins. "Love, what's wrong?" 

Roger turned her around and placed two fingers under her chin, making her look into his eyes. He was met by sadness and his heart broke at the sight of insecurity in her eyes. She opened her mouth as if to speak but nothing came out for a few moments except a sigh.

"Why me?" 

He looked at her, stunned. "What do you mean?"

"Why did you choose me?" She'd been trying to knock off the insecurities all night but she felt sick to her stomach hiding it from him. "I'm not skinny, I'm not blonde and funny, I'm nothing like anyone you could get. Why'd you choose me?"

His grip loosened on her waist for a moment. He wasn't aware of Elise's insecurities—if he'd have known, he'd have worshipped her the way he wanted to the night prior. The only thing that stopped him was his fear of stepping over some invisible line and making her uncomfortable.

"Elise," he whispered, holding her tighter. "You're so much better than anyone "I could get". You're more than I deserve and if I'm gonna be honest here, I should be the one asking you why you said yes. You're the most beautiful girl I've ever laid eyes on, and not to mention the only one that can make me laugh so hard that my ribs hurt. There's no one else I'd rather be with."

Elise looked up at him and smiled for a moment, her skin tingling under his touch. "You're not just saying that?"

"I promise you, I'm not just saying that. You were always more than a one night stand—you left me speechless from the moment I laid eyes on you." 

Her cheeks heated up and she giggled softly, standing on her tiptoes. She closed the gap between the two of them and felt his lips mould to hers perfectly, his left hand on her waist while his right slowly trailed down to her ass, resting on it for a moment before giving it a small spank as he pulled away. A moan was drawn from her mouth and he looked at her, his eyebrows raised.

"Naughty girl, are you now?" he asked cheekily. 

"Never said I was good, did I?" she laughed, turning out of his grip and picking up her knickers once more. 

Elise bent down as slowly as she possibly could, just to tease him, and stepped through the holes of the blue undergarment. He could tell what she was doing and he moved forward, snapping his hips to hers so she could feel his erection through his boxers. She turned back to look at him and he winked before spanking her backside once more.

She let out a louder whine and backed her hips into his before standing up again, pulling her knickers over her now soaked core. She turned back and her eyes were immediately met with Roger's darkened ones, a smirk playing on her face.

"Tease," he said, his voice deeper than usual. "See what you do to me?" He took Elise's hand in his and placed it over the growing bulge in his boxers.

"'S just the start of what you signed up for, baby. Now, I do believe you owe me some breakfast, hmm?" Elise smiled, pulling her dress over her head and settling it around her body before walking out of his bedroom and into the kitchen, swaying her hips a bit more than she regularly would've.

"Oh," Roger smirked to himself, watching as the brunette pulled a cigarette from his package on the counter and placing it between her lips. She searched the kitchen for a lighter, making her way over to it the moment her eyes landed on it. She lit up her smoke and inhaled deeply, happy as the nicotine filled her lungs. 

Roger caught Elise's gaze and she winked playfully, taking the smoke from her lips and exhaling the smoke that filled every inch of her lungs.

"You're definitely in for it today, sweetheart."


	20. twenty

Elise was sat on her sofa, two days later, beside a very giddy John Deacon. She was laughing harder than she had in a while as he practically bounced up and down, begging her for the so-called juicy details of how Roger asked her out. John was always very much like a supposed 'girlfriend' when it came to those sorts of things, having grown up around his sister, Julie, and Elise for most of his childhood.

"Come on! If you don't tell me, I'll cry, right here and now," John whined, turning to face Elise and placing his knee on the small sofa.

"Fine," she said, "I'll only tell you because I don't want you crying."

"Wait, hold on—I want tea," he laughed, standing up and walking into the kitchen of her flat. She stood up and followed him, a funny smile on her face.

John was welcome to anything and everything in Elise's home, and vice versa. They both knew it as well by this point, and they both knew where everything was in each other's homes. John opened the smaller cupboard above her coffee machine and grabbed the small wooden box filled with almost every type of tea one could think of.

"What kind do you want, munchkin?" he asked, turning to her as she was setting the kettle on the stove.

"Mmm," she hummed. "Chamomile, please."

"Alright," he said, sifting through her collection of teas. By the time he'd finally managed on picking his kind of tea, the kettle began to squeal.

Elise winced at the sudden noise and quickly removed the kettle from the stove before moving to pour the boiling water into both of the mugs John had taken out, their teabags already placed in it.

The two of them took their teas and went back into her lounge, sitting down at her sofa once more. She slung her legs over his lap and rested her head on his shoulder, suddenly missing the closeness of her best friend. As she took a sip of her tea, John set his down on the small table beside him and turned his head to face the girl.

"What?" she asked, tilting her head and letting her hands with her mug in them drop to her lap.

"Details!" John giggled, his hands resting on her knees. Elise laughed and shrugged, not sure of where to start nor what to say.

"I'm surprised he didn't tell you about it," she said, "you two are almost as close as we are."

"'S true, but tell me!"

"When you three left, he made me sit on his bed and hold my hands over my eyes so he could 'prepare', I guess. Took him a bloody long time, but when I opened my eyes, he was on his knees in front of me with a velvet box in his hand. It was open and inside was my necklace," she told him, reaching up to touch the small chain around her neck.

"He said this really sweet speech and kind of made me cry and then asked me to be his. I don't think I've been that happy in a long time, Deaks."

"Yeah," John smiled. "You're practically glowing, love. Gonna miss us when we're gone? We have to leave the day after next."

Elise's heart dropped at the words coming from John's mouth. She'd forgotten that they were going to Ridge Farm to record their new album, and she honestly had no idea what she would do without them there. Sure, she'd been alone whilst John was out touring as she never really had any other friends, but to think of it now? She was sad that not only her best friends were leaving, but her boyfriend as well.

"Roger didn't tell you we were leaving so soon, did he?" he asked, noticing how her entire demeanour had changed from bright and happy to a little heartbroken.

"No," she said. "He didn't bring it up."

"Well—why don't you just come with us?"

She looked at the man beside her, expressions of confusion and happiness on her face. "Could I really? I wouldn't want to be a distraction, Deaky."

"Nonsense! We all love you, so why not?" he said happily, picking his mug up from the small table beside him. He held it up to his lips and smiled as the taste of honey flooded his system.

"If Freddie, Bri and Rog say its okay, then I'll come along," Elise told him, a smile forming on her face as well.

"Come on, then! We're going to go ask them."

-

Elise and John pulled into the car park of the studio after John had called an 'emergency' meeting with the band. They made a point not to arrive until they were sure that the other three were there, and Elise was almost panicking at the thought of worrying them. She quickly unbuckled her seatbelt and was suddenly over-aware of her sweaty palms. 

"You all right?" John asked, meeting her on the passenger side of his car. She nodded and held her arm out for him to link his with, and she giggled when he did.

"Let's get this over with, then," Elise said as the two of them made their way into the smaller studio. As soon as they walked in, her eyes landed on Roger, who was pacing the floor with a worried look on his face. She'd never seen him that worried.

"You're finally fucking here!" he yelled, his voice loud enough to make Elise flinch. His eyes softened as soon as they landed on her and he quickly rushed over to her, scooping her up into his arms. She giggled and wrapped her arms around her neck, careful not to hurt her. "I thought something had happened to you."

"'M fine, dear," Elise smiled, trying to regain her balance as he set her down. 

"What is it, then? Deaky said it was something deathly important?" Freddie asked. John sat down beside him on the sofa and shrugged, making it obvious to her that she'd have to ask. She glared at him and followed Roger over to a small armchair, crossing her arms as she looked at the four of them.

"Since Deaky is making me do everything, even though it was his idea," she said, her voice quite shaky. "Would you three mind if I tagged along to Ridge Farm?" 

Roger's face lit up at the idea of having her with him while they recorded their album. His hand reached up to grab hers and she smiled down at him, a gleam in her eye. He looked around the room as if to mentally ask what the rest of them thought of it, and by the looks of it, they were all as ecstatic as he was.

"I don't see why that would be a problem," Brian smiled warmly as Elise sat down on Roger's lap, his arms immediately snaking around her waist. "Wouldn't want you to get a phone call one night hearing that your boyfriend's dead because of us."

"Are you planning on murdering me?" Roger asked, holding his hand over his heart dramatically. 

"Well, no, but you never know."

"What about you, Freddie?" Elise asked, her voice soft. "What do you think?"

"Oh, darling! I wouldn't mind one single bit. Though, I'm not going to be the one to tell Paul. God knows he hates visitors," he chuckled. 

Her stomach churned at the mere thought of the unpleasant man, and Roger perked up from underneath her. "I'll tell him!" 

"I'll be there to make sure you don't snap his neck, then," Brian said matter-of-factly. Elise laughed and snuggled into Roger's arms, happy that they weren't completely opposed to the idea. 

"So, that was the emergency, deathly important news?" Freddie asked, slinging one of his legs over the other.

"Well, the only other news I've got is that the man I'm currently sat on asked me out two days ago," she laughed, playing with the bracelet on her wrist. 

"We already knew that, but he didn't tell us about how he came across it! Please, dear, tell us the details!" 

Elise glared at Roger, biting her lip in the process. "You told them the main point but you leave the details to me? I've already had to explain everything once today!"

"I'm supposed to be manly! How're they going to act when they find out how I did everything?" he retorted, a bright smile on his face.

"You two have been dating for a sum of two days and you're already acting like a married couple," John said. "I'm scared to see you two when you are married."

"Shut up!"


	21. twenty one

"What's little Suzy Creamcheese doing here?" Paul asked as soon as Roger and Elise walked into the studio two days later, his arm protectively snaked around her waist. They had been laughing about something Elise said about his choice of pants.

She was right, though—Roger had chosen to wear a pair of tight, black leather pants and as much as she had to admit that he looked "damn sexy" in them, she knew he'd be whining by the time they got to the studio about how uncomfortable he was.

She looked up at him as she heard the words fall from Paul's mouth, too happy to let him get to her. "What's Suzy Creamcheese mean?"

"It's a snide way of saying you're the band's slut," he said, anger laced through his voice. She noticed him tense up and she stood on her tiptoes, letting her lips linger near his ear. 

"I'm only ever going to be a slut for you," she whispered, only loud enough for him to hear. She giggled softly before setting herself down on her feet again, a blush rising to her cheeks. He quickly became flustered and she intertwined her fingers with his, looking back at Paul.

"Haven't you heard? You're stuck with me for the next however long we're at Ridge Farm." Her glare shot daggers at him as he tried to think of a comeback. 

Roger chuckled as he watched Paul become speechless, unable to think of something to say that'd hurt her as much as he wanted to. She shrugged and smiled up at Roger innocently, "shall we go find the boys?"

"Okay," he said, his voice nearly failing him. She walked with him through the studio and into the recording booth where they both knew the rest of the band was.

Elise was somewhat shocked at how much her confidence grew since she started seeing Roger. While she was still slightly shy around Freddie and Brian, she was so open around him and whenever he was near. She was playful and despite only knowing him for what most would call a short while, she knew just how to calm him down when he was visibly upset. 

"Hi, boys!" she said with a bright smile on her face as they made it into the recording booth. Freddie looked up from the piece of paper that he held in his hands and returned her smile, happy to see her.

"Elise! My love," he squealed, standing up from his place on his swivel chair. She let go of Roger's hand momentarily and giggled as Freddie's arms wrapped themselves around her waist. "I'm so glad you're coming with us."

"Gotta keep my man alive, you know?" she giggled, pulling away from the man. Her eyes dragged over the outfit he had on and she smiled brighter than she ever had. He was wearing a baby blue t-shirt and white flares, and he looked damn amazing. "You look beautiful, darling!"

"Don't I always?" he asked playfully, winking. She laughed and nodded, a sparkle in her eye.

"Why am I not getting any hugs?" Brian whined from across the studio, setting his guitar down beside him. 

"Hey, tree boy," she smiled, walking over to the man who was now stood up. She held out her arms and he laughed, bending down enough for the two of them to hug.

"Hello, shorty."

"Now that I've hugged you both, where's John?" Elise asked with a pout on her face.

"I'm here! I'm here!" 

Elise spent an hour socialising with the boys before Paul had burst into the recording booth, demanding that if they were planning on going to Ridge Farm, that they had to be in the cars in ten minutes flat.

She carried as many bags on her arms as she could, walking side by side with Roger to his car. He set down his bags and opened the boot, a small smile forming on his face as his eye caught hers. "Excited?" he asked while he lifted the few bags into the boot of his car.

"Completely ecstatic. I'm going to be stuck in a small ranch-like house with four blithering idiots for god knows how long," she joked, laughing. 

"We may be blithering idiots," John said, coming up from behind the two. "But you love us."

"That's true," Elise replied, turning around to face the younger boy. "I do." 

"Shall we get going, lovebirds?" Roger laughed, pressing a soft kiss to her cheek. 

"Oh, shut up, Rog."

-

The drive to Capel from London was about an hour and a half, and it had to have been the most boring hour and a half of Elise's life. She'd given up on reading the book Roger got her for her birthday about twenty minutes into the ride as the constant bumps were making it harder for her to focus on the words in front of her without gaining a headache. 

"You all right?" Roger asked lowly as the five of them made their way into the cottage-like house. His hand rested against the small of her back, sending electric-like shocks up her spine. 

"'M fine, dear. Just a headache, is all." 

Their small interaction was cut off by Paul leading the five of them up the stairs. "Now," he said. "This is your room, Freddie—biggest of all, of course."

Roger exchanged a glance with Elise and she rolled her eyes, clearly already done with his bullshit. Freddie smiled and went into the large bedroom, immediately flopping back on his bed. The group followed Paul across the hall to the second largest bedroom, a devilish smirk on the ugly man's face.

"This is your room, Brian. The bed's a bit squeaky," he said. The lanky man looked at John, Roger and Elise with a confused look adorned on his face, but he shrugged nonetheless, stepping into his bedroom.

Paul turned on his heel and pushed past Roger and Elise, making his way back down the stairs. Roger scoffed and looked at John, who had an annoyed expression on his face as well. They trailed behind him down to the hallway near the kitchen, Elise letting out a heavy sigh. 

"Here's your room, Deaky," he shrugged. 

"We'll meet you for dinner in an hour, yeah?" Roger asked his younger friend, his fingers absentmindedly tangling with his girlfriend's. 

"Okay," he smiled, giving Elise a quick side-hug before the two of them went off to find their room.

Paul led the couple into the basement, bending down to look into the small, cold room. "This is yours and Suzy Creamcheese's."

As fast as Paul had shown them their room, he was gone, leaving Elise and Roger to themselves in the barely big enough room. She walked down the stairs and shivered as the cold air surrounded the parts of her skin that her sundress wasn't covering. He stood behind her, a sad sigh coming from his lips as they looked around the room.

"We'll make the best of it, yeah?" Elise said, trying to make the best of the situation as she turned around to face him. Her hands came up to rest on his shoulders, her fingers tangling in the long locks of his golden hair.

"There's barely enough room on that bed for the two of us," he told her. "That damned Prenter. I'll kill him, I swear—!"

"Rog, calm down." Her voice was soft as she spoke, a hint of a smile tugging at her features. "Just means we'll have to be very close together. We can do this; don't let him win."

His hands flew to her waist and pulled her as close to him as he could, resting his forehead against hers. He hummed as he smiled, thoughts of how lucky he was flowing through his mind. "You're the best, Ellie."

She stood on her tiptoes and pressed a small kiss to his lips, electricity flying through the both of them at the small display of affection. She stood back on her flat feet and smiled brightly, her hands never leaving his hair.

"How'd I ever get so lucky?"


	22. twenty two

"When's your birthday?" Elise asked. She was stood in front of the small mirror in the bathroom, brushing through her brown locks as Roger brushed his teeth beside her. The two had woken up the earliest which meant they had the bathroom to themselves, a rare occurrence while they were at the farm.

"Huh?" Roger replied, spitting the toothpaste out of his mouth. "What?"

"When's your birthday?" she repeated, attempting to tie her hair up into a ponytail as she spoke.

"It was the twenty-sixth," he told her, shrugging nonchalantly as he watched her jaw drop.

"That was the day before mine!" Elise scowled, a feeling of sadness bubbling up in her stomach. She hadn't known and it made her upset that she couldn't treat him as he treated her on her birthday.

"Sorry?" he said, though it came out like more of a question as he placed his toothbrush back with the rest of them. "Making you happy was all I needed for a birthday present, peaches."

The small grin on his face mixed with the pet name he used made Elise nearly forget what she was upset about in the first place, her knees nearly coming out from under her. It was moments like that that she hated the effect he had on her.

"Roger Taylor!" she whined, accentuating each syllable with a hit to his chest. He grunted and looked at her with his bright eyes, pouting.

"Look, I'm sorry I didn't tell you," Roger told her, his demeanour changing instantly when he noticed how upset she really was. He stepped closer to her and his arms snaked around her waist, pulling her close. "I was so wrapped up in making sure you were okay and perfecting the plans for your birthday that I didn't even think about it."

"You did all that for my birthday, while all we did on yours was fight with my dad," she frowned. "You had to watch me cry for pretty much the whole day."

"Can you believe that even when you're all red-eyed and puffy-cheeked that you're still the most beautiful girl I've ever laid eyes on?"

"Can I make it up to you?" she asked him, a bright red blush spreading across her cheeks as she looked up at the man in front of her.

"Of course, but you really don't have to," he said. "I did get the best birthday present of all, anyways."

"What was that?"

"You," he chuckled, the sound reverberating as vibrations in his chest. If she wasn't blushing before, she sure was now.

"You really are good with the women, aren't you?" she smiled. She stood up on her tip toes and rested her forehead against his, steadying herself by wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Shut up and kiss me, sugar," he said, moving down faintly to press his lips against hers before she could protest.

It felt as if time had stopped and the world was silenced as Roger's lips met hers. Her nimble fingers laced themselves into the small hairs at the back of his neck, keeping him as close as she could. He felt like electricity was flowing through him as he touched her, his hands roaming her waist.

Elise let out a small, involuntary gasp as his hand squeezed at her arse. He smirked against her lips and slipped his tongue into her mouth, his fingertips pressing into her waist. Their tongues fought for dominance and though she knew he'd win, she liked to tease.

Once they pulled away, Roger was left breathless, his lips as red and bruised as Elise's. He smiled down at the shorter girl before scooping her up in his arms, her legs immediately wrapping around his waist. Her silky white nightdress began to bunch up at her thighs as he walked with her towards their bedroom in the basement, goosebumps decorating the patches of bare skin that weren't covered by Roger's large hands.

"The boys are gonna wake up soon," she said between kisses, her voice nearly betraying her. He kicked the door shut as they reached their small, drafty bedroom and he sat down on their bed, Elise still sitting sturdily in his lap.

"Let them."

-

"Good morning," John smiled later that morning as Elise made her way into the kitchen. She looked a mess—her hair was dishevelled and her lips were bruised a perfect colour of red, all because of a certain blonde man named Roger.

"Morning, munchkin," she replied happily, striding over to give him a small side hug as he cooked. "You smell nice."

John laughed and tucked his arm over her shoulders as he flipped the ham he'd been frying. "Could you do the eggs, please?"

Elise nodded and opened the small fridge and pulled out the carton of eggs, quickly setting them on the counter before placing her hands on her slightly bruised hips, wondering where the frying pans were.

"Deaks?" she asked, tilting her head to the side faintly. 

"They're under there," he replied as if he could read her mind, pointing down towards the cupboards under the counter. She nodded once more and crouched down to pull out the frying pan, nearly hitting her head on the way up.

"Good morning," said Brian and Freddie as they trudged into the kitchen together, Brian's curls as unruly as ever. Freddie, though, looked brilliant. He radiated happiness as he smiled at Elise, stretching his arms over his head as he yawned. 

"Hello, boys!" Elise giggled, attempting to crack an egg into the pan with one hand. Small fragments of the shell landed in the pan and she scowled. "Fuck."

"Roger's rubbing off on you, huh?" John asked, laughing. He hadn't heard Elise swear like that since she fell off her bike when she was sixteen.

"Or the egg is just being mean," she replied nonchalantly with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Who's being mean to what?" Roger asked, joining in on the conversation as she tried to pick the small bits of eggshell from the pan.

"This—for god sakes—this dumb egg! I was trying to show off and crack it with one hand and it failed."

"Do you need me to do that?" he asked, laughing as he elbowed Brian on his way into the kitchen. "Morning, boys."

"What's got you in such a good mood, Rog?" John asked, sliding some of the ham onto four plates. He reached up and pulled a small box of strawberry oat muffins, a small present to Brian from Veronica as she knew he was vegetarian. "Courtesy of Vera," he told him as he handed him the muffin while Elise was cooking the eggs for them.

"Thanks," Brian smiled. "Don't avoid the question, Roggie."

Roger cringed slightly at the nickname and turned around, giving the lanky man a dirty look. "Am I not allowed to be smiley?"

"No," the three boys said in unison.

Elise laughed as she cracked a few more eggs in the frying pan. She knew why Roger was in such a good mood.

"I know what's got him in a good mood," Freddie laughed. "He got laid."

Both Roger and Elise blushed fifty shades of red. "I did."

Brian, Freddie and John laughed, noticing that he was blushing. Blushing was something he never did—he usually boasted about how good of a lay he had, while Elise was the complete opposite. She never really talked about it, as much as she may have wanted to.

"Surprised none of you's heard me," she said, deciding to shock them as much as she could. Elise may have been shy, but she was rather playful around those she trusted. She placed the frying pan on the stove and turned around to look at her boyfriend. 

If he wasn't beet red earlier, he sure was now.

"That good?" Freddie asked, seemingly wondering if he was that good of a lay. 

"Oh yeah, definitely. I've even got the bruises to prove it," she smirked. 

"Alright," John said, cringing. "I don't need to hear about my two best friends going at it like rabbits."

"'M sorry, bubs," Elise replied, wrapping her arms around the barely-younger boy's shoulders. "I love you!"

"Love you too, dork."


	23. twenty three

It was the fifth of August when Elise had finally been able to talk the boys into letting her cook a dinner for them and have a small party at the farm. Sure, she was still upset that Roger hadn't told her about his birthday, but with what she had planned, she'd get over it. As long as he was happy, she told herself, she'd be okay.

On top of her trying to plan the perfect birthday for Roger, she was trying to think of the perfect present to get John for his birthday. It was in two weeks, after all. Each year since they met, they'd get each other something as sentimental as possible—he'd given her a photo album for her birthday, and she needed to figure out something that'd make him cry as much as she did when she went through it with Roger.

That would have to wait until later, she told herself. She had to get ready. Her hands came up to her necklace, fiddling with it anxiously as she took the black bag out of her closet, hoping that the dress underneath wasn't as wrinkled as she thought it would be. 

She'd bought the dress a few days ago after she made the plans for Roger's birthday. She had snuck out while the boys were recording to get it and if she was being honest, she was quite scared to wear it. Sure, her confidence had surged since she got with him—how couldn't it? He was constantly telling her how brilliant she was, how beautiful she was, and how lucky he was to have her. But, she was still self-confident.

Elise made sure that John took the boys out to get fancy dress clothes while she was back at the farm, dolling herself up and making everything perfect. She wasn't very good at cooking, so they'd have to deal with the only thing she really knew how to make; pasta. Hopefully, it'd taste good with the expensive bottles of wine she got. 

She slid the jumper she'd stolen from Roger a few days ago over her head and dropped it on top of her suitcase before sliding her fuzzy pyjama bottoms off of her freshly shaven legs. The cold air surrounded her and she let out an involuntary shiver, goosebumps forming on her soft skin. She unzipped the black bag that contained her dress and smiled at the shiny gold sequins as the light hit them.

She turned around for a moment, looking at herself in the small full-length mirror that was hung on the inside of the door of the closet. She began to pick and tear at the things she hated about herself, like the way her pink stretch marks decorated her stomach or the way her boobs were slightly lopsided in a way only she'd notice. But, for the first time in a while, she stopped to think of the things Roger loved about her.

She thought of the way his fingers trailed along her stretchmarks before he pressed a line of kisses to each of them, constantly making her squirm. She thought of how he'd always grasp at her thighs and tell her 'how fucking sexy' they were. Her boobs were one of his favourite parts of her, physically. He'd always leave the biggest hickeys on them when they had sex, and when they were cuddling and he was the little spoon, he'd rest his head on them. He always said that they made the perfect pillows.

A smile formed on her face as she trailed her fingers over the waistband of her light blue, lacy knickers. She felt comfortable in her skin. Moving towards the small drawer filled with her and Roger's clothes, she pulled out the matching light blue bra and quickly clasped it on. She moved back to the little number she'd picked out and pulled it from its bag, her eyes lighting up. 

She looked at the time as she stepped through the dress, pulling it up over her body. She needed to hurry if she wanted everything to be perfect before the boys came back.

-

"You look brilliant," John told his best friend as he stepped into the kitchen. He made sure that Freddie kept Brian and Roger in the small lounge, knowing how much this meant to her. Roger was somewhat clueless as to what was going on, but he didn't mind. He knew it had to have something to do with Elise as he was told to wear his black velvet trousers and a slightly unbuttoned, white top. 

He felt like Brian.

"Thank you," Elise giggled, smoothing the front of her gold dress with her hands. "You do, as well."

He smiled, looking down at the ground. He was dressed in a simple outfit; black flares and a brown button up with the sleeves rolled to his elbows. She wished she had her camera on her—Veronica would've loved the sight of him dressed so fancy.

"Is everything ready? Do you need any help?" he asked, looking around the kitchen. Roger was lucky to have someone like her. She had five plates of cheesy pasta around the table along with five glasses of red wine, and a simple, honeydew melon candle in the middle of the table. She'd messed with the lighting a bit so that it looked dimmer than usual.

"Is Paul still stuck in his room?" she asked, her voice faltering. "I really don't want him to ruin this, Deaks."

"He is. He won't be getting out any time soon," he told her. "It'll be alright, okay?" 

"What if my food's bad? What if he doesn't think I'm beautiful?" Elise's insecurities flooded over her like a tsunami, causing small tears to prick at her eyes. She quickly batted them away, not wanting to ruin the faint amount of makeup she'd put on.

"Ellie," he cooed, pulling her into his arms. "He's going to love it, you needn't worry about that. You should hear the way he talks about you—it's like you hung the damn moon."

"How do you know I didn't?" she giggled, looking up at him with a smile on her face. "Thank you, Deaky."

"'Course, love. Now, shall I bring them in? Please don't eye-fuck Roger, though. I know you two go at it like bunnies, but I don't need to see you two practically undressing each other right in front of me. Wait until you're in your room, please."

"Shut up," Elise laughed. "Go get the boys, I'll light the candle."

John snorted as he turned on his heel, making his way back into the lounge. Roger was pacing the room as Brian and Freddie were engaged in a conversation about something, but he wasn't quite sure what. 

"It's time, get your arses up and into the kitchen," he smiled, brushing some of his hair out of his face. Roger turned around and looked at him, eyes wide.

Freddie and Brian cut their conversation short, each standing up and patting the small wrinkles from their clothes. Freddie looked as dashing as ever with white flares on and a black coat with gold decorations on it over top of a basic, dark grey tank, while Brian wore practically the same thing as Roger and John, but rather than a brown or white top, he wore a light blue one.

"Shall we?" John asked, smiling warmly at Roger. He was nervous, though he didn't quite know why. Roger Taylor was not one to be nervous—he was one to make others nervous. There was just something about Elise that brought out a different side to him.

"Okay."


	24. twenty four

Roger wasn't quite sure what he was expecting when he walked into the kitchen, but it sure wasn't what was laid out in front of him. Elise was sat at the table with one leg crossed over the other, the skirt of her gold dress slightly hiking up her leg. When she stood, it ended mid-calf, but when she was sat down, it ended at her knees, showing off her freshly shaved legs. She held her glass of wine in her hand and her soft curls rested over her shoulders—needless to say, she looked perfect.

"Happy Birthday, love," she smiled, setting down her glass to stand up. She made her way over to the speechless man and wrapped her arms around his torso, inhaling the scent of his cologne.

He was wearing her favourite.

"Take a seat, won't you?" she asked the four men standing by the door, a sly smile on her face as she went back to her seat at the table. Brian laughed lowly as he elbowed Roger on his way to the table.

"Cheesy pasta?" Freddie asked, tilting his head as he sat down across from Elise. "It looks amazing, darling!"

"I'm not very good at cooking, but cheesy pasta is my favourite thing to make," she replied. "I'd call it macaroni and cheese, but it's not macaroni."

Once Roger had come back down from his shocked state, he took a seat between Brian and Elise. "This...all for me?"

Elise nodded happily. "Who else would it be for?"

"You are forgetting my birthday is in two weeks," John said, laughing as he took a small sip of his wine.

"Shut it, dork," she replied. "At least yours will be on time."

Roger rolled his eyes playfully and pressed a kiss to Elise's cheek. "Thank you, really."

"It's no problem," she smiled. "Dig in!"

The boys each took a bite of their pasta and each of them let out a low moan at the taste. "This is amazing," Brian said, quickly shovelling more of the cheesy goodness into his mouth. Elise chuckled, nodding.

It didn't take long for the five of them to finish their dinners, conversing about everything between their new songs, to whether lemonade is better than iced tea. Elise was having the time of her life, and she hoped Roger was, too. She knew that wasn't quite the situation when she looked him in the eyes once they were alone in the kitchen.

"Love?" she asked, placing the stack of plates in the sink. "What's wrong?"

He shook his head and stood from the chair he was sat in, smoothing out the wrinkles in his shirt. "It's—it's nothing."

She could tell that he wasn't telling her something, and a small ball of anxiety began to grow in the pit of her stomach. She decided on letting it go, for now. She walked across the kitchen from the sink to where Roger was stood, taking his hand in hers. "Come with me?"

He nodded and she led him out of the small cottage-like house and into the field area of the property. The sun was just going down as it was nearing on 7 in the evening, casting a light orange glow over the rolling hills. She squeezed his hand in hers before letting go, plopping down on the ground.

"Lay with me," she said, smiling. There was a glint of something in his eyes that she couldn't put in the form of words as he laid down beside her—adoration, maybe? Roger knew it was much more than that. He loved her. He was in love with her.

Love was something he never thought he'd be capable of, but here he was, laying with the love of his life. Happier than he ever thought he could be, yet there was still something holding him back from letting him be completely happy.

"Isn't it pretty?" she asked, her voice snapping him out of his daze. She pointed up at the sky, tracing over the shape of a cloud with a smile on her face.

"What?" he replied, shifting so his head was laid on her stomach. Her fingers immediately tangled in the long, dirty blond locks and he closed his eyes, revelling in the bliss.

"The sunset."

"I thought you were talking 'bout yourself," Roger told her, causing a small giggle to fall through her lips.

"I'm not nearly as pretty as the sunset," she whispered. "You gonna tell me what's wrong, now?"

He debated on letting it go, but he thought that maybe if he talked about it, everything would get better. Letting out a heavy sigh, he shifted himself so he could look at her without moving his head from her tummy.

"I'm...scared."

Elise pulled her eyebrows together and sat back on her elbows, looking at him with a confused expression. "What do you mean, bubs?"

Though Roger was somewhat upset, the pet name made butterflies erupt in his stomach. "Please don't think I'm absolutely mad or something—please."

"Of course not, what is it?"

He sighed. "I'm scared, because I've never been attached to somebody like I am with you. I've never—I've never felt this way with anybody else, and I'm scared because I don't know how to handle it. I know I'm not good for you, and that you should find someone that will be good for you, but fuck, I can't stand the idea of anyone else touching you the way I do. I know that I have anger issues and that one day I'm going to scare you so bad that you won't want me to touch you, and I'm scared of that because I'm trying so hard to fix it so that I don't hurt you."

"I don't want to hurt you. I'm scared that I will. I know I'll never lay a hand on you in any bad way, but I'm scared that one day you're gonna see me get angry and it'll scare you. I'm not good at this relationship thing—I've never been in a proper one and I didn't have a very good role model of it. Please...just bare with me."

Roger was crying now, leaving a feeling of sadness to wash over her. She sat up and pulled the blonde into her arms, holding him tightly as he cried into her shoulders. She rubbed his back with the heel of her hand and smoothed out his hair. "Baby, shh."

"'M sorry," he whispered, wiping away his tears. "Never thought you'd have to see me cry."

"Hey," she said. "No. Don't be sorry about that for even one second. It's okay to cry. I just want you to know that you don't have to worry about those sorts of things. I get it, okay? I'm not very good at this relationship thing either, but I'm gonna stick with you through thick and thin. You're stuck with me forever, sorry 'bout that."

Roger let out a broken laugh and snuggled closer to Elise. "Ellie?" he asked, looking up at her through his lashes. His bright blue orbs burnt holes into her brown ones and she tilted her head to the side, questioning him. He moved forwards in the slightest and kissed her, his lips meshing against hers in the most perfect of ways.

When he pulled away, her cheeks were flushed a bright red and she had a smile plastered across her face.

"I love you."


	25. twenty five

Elise looked at Roger with a gleam of hope in her eyes. She had a shocked expression plastered on her face and she could tell that the second he said that, he felt bad. He knew he shouldn't have just sprung it on her like that, but it just felt...right? He wasn't quite sure if he even knew what he was saying.

She could feel her heart thumping against her rib cage as her breaths became slightly ragged in a way only she could tell. She'd never had someone tell her they love her in that manner—ever, for that matter. She wasn't quite sure how to react. The one thing she did know, though, was that she loved the man in front of her with every atom in her body.

"I'm sorry," he began to ramble. "I didn't mean to spring that on you—"

"Roger," she whispered, cutting him off. He looked at her, still resting in her arms, a softened look in his eyes. It was something she couldn't quite put into words, but it managed to make her nearly melt. "I love you, too. I have for a while, you know that."

He smiled but his heart yearned to tell her the sentence he'd practised in the mirror so many times. He wanted to tell her how in love he was with her, how he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, but it wasn't coming up. He couldn't make himself do it.

"Should we go inside?" he asked, his fingers playing with the soft brown curls that rested on her shoulders. "As gorgeous as this dress is, I can't imagine it being very comfortable."

Elise laughed and shook her head, moving to press a kiss to his forehead. "It's actually very comfortable!" she said. "It's even got pockets. But, we can't go in just yet. I've still got to give you your present."

"Baby," he whined. "I told you not to get me anything. You were the greatest birthday present I could've asked for."

"As much as I love when you're all sappy, I got you a really nice present," she told him. "Stay here?"

"Wouldn't dream of leaving."

She nodded assertively and shifted, making it easier for her to stand up without hurting him. She brushed down the wrinkles that formed on the skirt of her dress and smiled down at him before turning on her heel, lifting her dress up with one hand to run across the field, back over towards the cottage.

As she ran, she could hear Roger faintly laughing in the background at her choice of shoes. She was wearing her favourite pair of pink sparkly converse, shining in the dim light of the sunset with each bouncing step.

Soon after, Elise came back from the cottage with a light blue box in one hand with a silver bow on top and a single white daisy in the other behind her back. She was changed into a pair of sleep shorts and one of his old, raggedy Jimi Hendrix t-shirts, and her pink converse still tied to her feet.

He sat up, clasping his hands together in his lap as he watched the giggly brunette bounce over to him. A grin formed on his face at the mere sight of her, a laugh falling through his pink lips as soon as she fell, sitting down in front of him. She placed the box in between the both of them, still holding the daisy behind her back.

"What do you want to have first?" she asked. "The box, or the thing behind my back?"

"Hmm," he hummed, appearing to look deep in thought. "Behind your back, please, peaches."

Elise's cheeks turned a bright pink as she placed her free hand over his eyes, giggling as he held out his hands like a small child. She placed the small flower in his hands delicately before leaning forward, pressing a soft kiss to his lips. He lifted his free hand to her cheek and deepened the kiss, a soft whine tumbling out of his mouth.

She pulled away after a moment and removed her hand from his eyes, a smile on her nearly swollen lips. He looked down at the flower in his hand and Elise could've sworn she could see his eyes light up. She knew that was his favourite flower.

"Ellie," he said, looking up at her. "This is so pretty."

"Almost as pretty as you," she winked. "Open the box!"

Roger laughed at how excited she was and placed the daisy behind his ear before taking the bow off of the top of the light blue box. Elise looked up at the sky and noticed how the stars were beginning to shine as the once orange sky turned to a darker blue, the night falling over them.

He opened the box and she focused back on him, a glitter of happiness in her eyes as she watched the blond man open his gift. She felt what could only be described as bliss. She loved him, she knew she did—but what was she supposed to do with it? She was never one for relationships, she thought. Or, maybe it was because nobody wanted to be in a relationship with her, maybe they just wanted her for the one-night stands.

She couldn't stop thinking of why Roger was with her, but she tried to push the thoughts to the back of her mind so she could enjoy the night with him.

"You didn't."

"I did!" she giggled, regrounding herself.

He took the sparkly pink converse from the box and chuckled, noticing that they were exactly his size and that they were a perfect match with the pair already tied to her feet. He felt extreme joy pulse through his veins as he looked at them before looking back up at her.

"Baby, I could cry," he said.

Elise laughed, nearly falling over. "Shut up, I knew you'd love them. Now, let's go inside, yeah? I thought we could just lay and talk for a while."

"About anything in particular?" He took her hand and they stood up together, the daisy still placed behind his ear. As they began to walk towards the small cottage, she thought of what to say. She didn't quite have anything, in particular, to talk about—she just simply loved the sound of his voice.

"Not really," she said. "I just like hearing you talk."

"Love, that kind of came off as creepy."

She snorted and hit his shoulder as they stepped into the small, cold cottage. It was dark and dead silent—everyone must've been asleep. The lounge still smelt of the small candle she had lit earlier, but she could tell by the faintness of it that it had already been blown out. Her hand slipped out of his and she turned to face him, a smile on her face.

It felt as if she was always smiling when she was with him.

"Here," she said, moving her hand to take the daisy from behind his ear. His eyes fluttered shut momentarily and she giggled, pressing a kiss to the tip of his nose. "Do you want to stay in here? See if there's anything on the tele?"

He nodded. "Sure. I'll get the blanket from our room, yeah?"

"Okay."

With that, Elise was left in the dark lounge with only her thoughts and the daisy in her hand. As she moved to the small cupboard under the TV to find a vase, a permanent grin plastered across her face. She became mad at herself for ever doubting that Roger didn't love her as much as she loved him, because there, at that moment, she knew he was the one for her.

She knew they'd last forever if she had anything to say about it.


	26. twenty six

"Jesus Christ," Elise groaned, kicking her left leg over her right as she watched the fight break out in front of her. Freddie, Brian and Roger were arguing over something; she wasn't sure what, though. Maybe vocals, she thought.

"They never shut up," John said. "Do they?"

"Doesn't seem like it. Still love them, though," she laughed, resting her head on his shoulder. She'd missed the small displays of affection with her best friend—she was too caught up with Roger to show him the love that she used to. "I missed this."

"Missed what?"

"Us," she replied. John wrapped his arm around the girl and pulled her into his side, his hand clasping with hers. Roger noticed the two from the corner of his eye and his heart swole at the sight of Elise so happy with her best friend. If it had been anyone else holding her like that, he'd be instantly mad, but he knew that they had a bond like no-one else. 

"I missed it too," he said. "Are you happy? With Rog, I mean."

She nodded, closing her eyes as the fight continued in front of them. "I really am. I don't know—I saw all of those things in the tabloids and the stories you told me about how he had a new girl every day, but I don't see it. I get how girls can fall at his feet, it's Roger, for crying out loud, but he just...he seems so different from the stories I've heard."

"You know, he hasn't let a single girl touch him since the day I took you to meet him?" he told her, a gleam of happiness in his eyes. 

"Really?" John nodded in reply and her heart swole at the thought of her being his only one forever. 

"Can you believe that was two months ago?" he asked, watching as Roger stood up angrily from his drum kit. 

"It feels like it's been a week," she sighed contentedly. "Time flies by fast when you're having fun, hey?"

"It does," he laughed. "Can you believe I'm 24 in just a few days?" 

"I can't believe I am 24," she told him. "Have you heard from Veronica about Robert lately?"

"Yeah," he told her. "He's a loud cryer. I can't believe I'm missing the first month of his life."

Elise moved from his side and crossed her legs so she was sitting sideways on the small couch, facing John. "She knows there's nothing that you want more to be there with her. She understands, Deaks."

"What if she doesn't forgive me?" John asked, his voice soft. "It's our first child and I'm not there to be a dad. What if she hates me?"

"I know Vera, and she doesn't hate you. She might be the slightest bit upset because of the hormones and lack of sleep, but you'll make it up to her. She loves you."

"Thank you, Ellie," he smiled. She hugged him to the best of her ability from her position, burying her face in his hair. Their small moment of happiness was abruptly interrupted by the sound of a drumstick hitting the wall behind Brian's head, snapping instantly on impact.

"What the fuck did you guys do?" she yelled, standing up from the couch. The three screaming men quieted down, turning to Elise with guilty looks on their faces. Each of them looked as if they had been caught stealing cookies from the cookie jar. "Talk!"

"Well—!"

"Freddie wasn't happy—!"

"Brian wouldn't shut the fuck up about—!"

The boys continued to yell over each other, attempting to tell the younger girl their side of the story. She turned around with her hands on her hips and looked at John with an expression of disbelief plastered across her face. He shrugged and she turned back at the boys, taking a deep breath.

"All of you, shut up!" she said. "Freddie, what happened?"

"Roger's voice was too crackly and Brian wasn't focusing on his fucking notes!" he said. "Roger sounded like he'd been screaming for seven hours straight! And this dumb song! Don't even get me started!" 

Roger opened his mouth to protest but the look on Elise's face made him close it immediately. "Brian, tell me your side."

"I can't do anything with these two idiots bickering at each other constantly. How 'm I supposed to focus on my notes when these two are yelling at each other over things as dumb as the colour purple!"

"I doubt they were arguing about the colour purple," she sighed. "What song are you guys recording?"

"It's Roger's stupid car song," he informed her. "Have you ever seen the lyrics?"

"No?" she replied, looking at Roger. "I haven't."

"Come on, guys. We need a ten-minute break to calm down," John interfered as he stood up. Brian and Freddie immediately got the hint, backing out of the room with John hot on their heels.

And then, there was just Roger and Elise. 

"Can I see this secret song of yours?" she asked, moving to face him. 

"It was supposed to be a surprise," Roger said, saddened. He turned away from her and went back to his drums, picking up the small piece of paper from the top of the snare drum. He returned back to the girl and handed her the piece of paper, lyrics scribbled in chicken scratch.

She took it from his shaky hand and looked over the messily scrawled words. "'I'm In Love With My Car'?" 

"It's—it's a metaphor. I don't know."

Elise could tell that he was nervous about her seeing the song he wrote, yet she wasn't quite sure why. Of course, it wasn't necessarily the type of song she'd listen to, but she was going to support him either way.

"What's it about?"

"You," he shrugged. "I'm not very good at writing love songs, but..."

"'Tell my girl I'll have to forget her'?" she questioned. "Are you going to leave me for a carburettor?"

"No, no," he laughed. "It's just for the purpose of the song. I worked really hard on it—there's a car called the Lotus Elise. I thought you'd like it."

She looked back down at the lyrics and noticed how wrinkled the paper had been. He did work hard on it. When she looked back up at the blonde man, he was staring down at the ground, fiddling with his fingers. He was never one to be nervous but he poured his heart out into that song, and he was worried that she wouldn't like it as much as he hoped.

His worries were quickly washed away as Elise wrapped her arms around his shoulders, pulling him in for a delicate hug. She made sure not to damage the paper more than it already was, holding it out as she held herself tightly against him.

"I love it," she said. "Trust me."

"Promise?" he asked, a small hint of vulnerability showing through his tough-guy act. She pulled away for a moment to look him in the eye, her hands placed softly on his shoulders.

"I promise. I love you, you know."

Roger smiled, showing off his teeth as his ocean blue eyes met her honey brown ones. "I love you, too."

She moved forward, pressing a soft kiss to his nose. "You better now? Can I bring them back in without you threatening murder?"

The two of them broke out in fits of laughter, their eyes falling on the broken drumstick that laid on the ground not far from them. "I guess so."

"I'm gonna have to get you a new drumstick too, aren't I?" 

"I think so. Did we pack extras?" he asked, moving a piece of stray hair from his eyes.

"Did we pack extras," she mocked teasingly, laughing. "Rog, you break at least four drumsticks a week. I'd be crazy to let you come here without any extras."

He pulled Elise to him by her waist, quickly attaching his lips to hers. She tasted of sweet cherries, and he was sure it was a taste he'd never get sick of. He was head over heels for her in every way possible.

"What would I do without you?" he asked as he pulled away, his hands still firm on her waist.

"Probably run out of drumsticks way too fast."


	27. twenty seven

It took quite a long time for the rest of the band to come to an agreement over Roger's song, along with quite a lot of harassment. He ended up locking himself in the closet until they agreed to put it on the b-side to Bohemian Rhapsody, with some help from Elise, who had smooth-talked Freddie into it by telling him how much the song meant to her as well.

The boys were doing their final touches on the album, and quite frankly, she thought it sounded brilliant. Although some of the lyrics drove her insane, such as Brian's about being 'sweet like some kind of cheese', she had to say that it was their best work yet. When John showed her the song he wrote for Veronica, 'You're My Best Friend', she nearly cried.

"It's got a double meaning," John told her. "It could work for you and Vera. I wouldn't be who I am without either of you."

Elise was sat on his lap, toying with his hair with one hand while she held the sheet of lyrics in the other. He told her the story of his song as she looked over the words and she could feel her heart swell, happy that not only was it for her but for Veronica as well. Part of her wondered if she'd be that happy with Roger for the rest of her life, or if her insecurities would ruin the whole thing.

"It's beautiful, she's gonna love it," she said, smiling.

"What do you think of it? Do you love it? It's for you too, bubbles," he replied, visibly saddened. She immediately regretted her choice of wording, her hand flying from his hair to cup his cheek. 

"I love it, I do! I promise you," she told him, stroking her small finger over his cheekbone. "I promise."

"You look as if you're about to cry?" he questioned, watching her watery eyes drift over the chicken scratch on the piece of wrinkly paper. 

"It's just really sweet, is all."

Many of the days at Ridge Farm with the boys that weren't spent recording, were spent playing silly games such as tennis and fooling around in the pool like absolute hooligans. Elise had ended up talking Roger into going swimming in the middle of the night one night, and as weary as Roger had been, he had to admit that they had bundles of fun.

"Please?" Elise asked, tugging on her boyfriend's hand as they walked across the small field of grass, towards the pool. 

"We haven't got our swimsuits, love," Roger told her, following her anyway with a wide smile on his face. 

"We've got our underwear," she said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. 

"Are you joking?" he replied as the two of them made it to the somewhat large pool. The light from the moon cast upon them as she let go of his hand, immediately hooking her fingers in the waistband of her light blue sleep shorts. She tugged them down her freshly shaven legs and laughed at the look of bewilderment on her boyfriend's face.

"Please?" she pleaded, giving him her best puppy dog eyes. "I'll get down on my knees if I have to."

A devilish smirk formed on his face at her choice in words and she scoffed playfully, hitting him over the shoulder. "I wouldn't mind that."

"Shut up, that'll be later."

"Promise?"

"Get in the damn pool!" Elise laughed, throwing her t-shirt over her head. She was left in a plain black bra and pastel purple knickers—they were her favourite because of the small sunflowers that decorated them.

"Pretty knickers," he commented, peeling his nearly skin-tight jeans from his legs. "I quite like them."

"Better than those red ones you adore so much?"

If she was trying to turn Roger on, she was doing a damn good job. He knew exactly which knickers she was talking about and just the thought of the things they did together when she wore those had him nearly whining.

"Maybe not."

Now, Elise was sat behind Roger's drums, twirling his drumsticks between her fingers absentmindedly. She had picked up the small habit a few days ago due to watching him twirl them almost every five minutes. Brian sat with John on the couch a little ways away from where Elise was, while Freddie and Roger were over by the control panel, most likely talking about something to do with the vocals.

"Do you think he'd be mad at me if I tried to play?" she asked, looking over towards Brian and John. They looked at each other as if to ask if it mattered since it was Elise playing them rather than one of them. 

"I dunno," John told her. "He usually gets mad when we touch them, but you're his girlfriend, so I don't quite know."

"Roger!" she called, looking over towards the other two men. The blonde looked at Freddie and mumbled a quick "one moment" before making his way to the small girl behind his drums.

"What is it, flower?"

"Would you mind if I played?" she looked up at him with her puppy dog eyes, twirling the drumsticks in her hand.

"Are you going to break everything?" he asked, chuckling.

"I don't think so."

"Go ahead, love. Don't break our ears, yeah?" Elise laughed as he spoke, pulling him down for a small kiss. 

John and Brian were somewhat shocked at Roger's answer but shook it off. No one in the room except for John knew that she could play, and she could play damn good. She looked over at her best friend and winked as she positioned herself properly, her foot resting on the bass drum pedal. 

As soon as Elise began to drum to the beat of Brighton Rock, the three men that didn't know she could play looked at her with bewilderment written across each of their faces.

"She's almost better than you," Freddie said, looking at Roger. His mouth was wide as he watched her play, a sheer layer of sweat forming on her soft skin.

"Shut it," he replied. "I didn't know you could play?" His question was aimed more towards Elise as she finished off her drum solo. 

"I haven't played in quite a while, really. It was just a small hobby I took up when I tried out for Deaky's high school band. I've watched you play it so much...just came to me, I guess?"

"You two are meant to be, one would say," Brian said as Roger lifted Elise from the drum stool momentarily, only to sit her back down on his lap.

"Meant to be?" he asked, nuzzling his face into the crook of Elise's neck. 

"Meant to be because of my drum skills?" she replied, looking up at Freddie. "Does that make any sense?"

"I guess Veronica and I aren't meant to be, then?" John joked, laughing. "She can't play bass worth shit."

"Are you shit-talking your own wife?" Elise giggled, wrapping her arms around Roger's neck.

"No! She just can't play!" 

"Rog, love, are you gonna shit-talk me like that when we're married?" she asked. Immediately, the man under her perked up, his heart swelling at the thought of watching her walk down the aisle one day. 

"Married?" he asked, making sure he heard her right. His hands were holding her as close to him as possible by her waist, protecting her from sliding off.

"Well..." she trailed off, looking at John for support. He nodded and clasped his hand over his mouth to quiet the chuckles that were daring to spill as he saw her eyebrows knit together in embarrassment. "Yeah. If—if you'd like that. Maybe some kids, too?"

Roger lifted one hand from her waist and cupped her cheek, pulling her in for what could easily have been the softest, most passionate kiss the two of them had ever shared. Her lips meshed perfectly with his and though they were both somewhat hesitant, scared that one of the boys were going to ruin the moment, they didn't. 

The two of them hadn't realised that they all left them alone. Roger let out a soft, needy whine as her hands came up to his hair, easily tangling in the dirty blonde locks. She tilted her head to the side only enough to deepen the kiss and his hands gripped on her waist hard enough to leave bruises, yet not hard enough to hurt. 

As soon as they pulled away, he rested his forehead against hers, his chest heaving as he tried to steady his racing heartbeat.

"Flower," he smiled, his voice rough. "You'd want my kids?"

"Of course I do," she replied. 

"They'd be the most beautiful kids ever conceived."


	28. epilogue

July 13, 1985

"Look, Rosa," Elise smiled, bouncing her two-year-old on her hip as she pointed at Roger. "That's your daddy! He's playing his drums to over 70,000 people. Can you believe that?" 

"I can hardly believe it myself," Veronica said, coming up from behind Elise with her own kids, Robert, Michael, and Laura, running circles around her while she held Joshua on her hip, mimicking Elise's stance. "It feels like they were still just a college band only yesterday."

"Seems like it," she laughed. "But, yesterday, Roger was still finding trouble with putting together Rosa's bed." 

"Oh my," Veronica replied. "I remember when I had to teach John how to change a nappy. It was apparently rather confusing." 

"I've gotta agree with him—they are quite confusing at first." 

She laughed, but their conversation was quickly cut short by music beginning to play through the speakers. The two of them stood together, watching as the boys got set up to play. The show hadn't even started, yet there was still tears forming in their eyes.

The four men made their way onto the stage, looking out at the seventy-some-thousand people. Freddie looked as ecstatic as ever—how couldn't he? He'd been dreaming of being a famous singer, and look where he is now. He could hardly believe it himself. Brian looked as if he hadn't been fazed by it all, but both women knew that that was hardly the issue. Elise had to calm him down a bit before they went on, simply by letting him hold Rosa. 

Rosa liked to tug on Brian's hair, and although it hurt sometimes, he found it adorable. Elise knew Brian would be a good father from the moment she met him, and when his son, Jimmy, was born, she knew her instincts were right. Now, he had two children and a nearly declining marriage, as she was the only one who knew about his little affair with Anita. It confused her a little as she would've expected him to go to Roger about it, but she promised to keep it a secret nonetheless. She had told him that if he ever wanted Anita around for something, she could lie and say that she was her second cousin. Easy.

Veronica and Elise were both worried about John the most, though. He had a massive panic attack before the show and nothing could calm him down, not even the way that Elise had learned to hold him after all these years. She had him sitting with his legs over her lap and a hand on his back, whispering soothing things in his ear while they watched Rosa and Joshua play together on the ground. Nothing seemed to work.

But, there he was, standing on the stage in the biggest stadium in the world. He looked a bit scared and his eyes widened the second that he saw how big the crowd was, but when he looked over at Veronica and Elise, he felt like he could fly. He had his best friend and the love of his life waiting for him—he'd be okay.

Roger, however, looked as if he was as happy as could be. One could argue that he was as ecstatic as Freddie, even. He was happy because of how far they'd come, and happy because he still had Elise by his side, ten years later. There were fights, of course, and some were rough enough that she had stayed with Brian for a few days as she just wanted to get out of Roger's hair—but he wouldn't trade their love for the world.

He laughed quietly to himself as he positioned himself properly at his drums, reminding himself of how they'd gotten to where they were.

It all started with a one night stand. 

-

"Jim!" Elise smiled, waving him down as they waited for the boys to finish their last song. "How wonderful it is to see you, love! Haven't seen you since before the boys went on stage?"

"Just...got a bit lost is all. Are they nearly done?" he asked, chuckling as Rosa took a hold of his forefinger.

"Should be out after this song. Do you want to hold her?" Jim nodded and she laughed softly, holding out her little girl to the Irishman. 

"She's gotten so big," he commented, crinkling his nose as she poked at his moustache. "Thank you, by the way."

"For what?" Elise asked, pulling a bottle of water from her bag. She unscrewed the cap and took a swig, mentally thanking herself for remembering to bring one. It was damn hot that day. 

"Making me the godfather," Jim said. "It means everything to Freddie and I, you know?"

"Darling," she laughed. "We all know I prefer you over Mary. Always had a weird feeling about her, you know? But, she made Freddie happy—that's all that matters."

"Here they come," he said, handing Rosa back to her. He bent down in the slightest and pressed a kiss to her cheek, causing her to giggle and clap.

She set Rosa down on a speaker not too high from the ground and made sure she wouldn't fall off before she stood with Veronica and Jim, waiting for the boys to reach them.

"God, I'm so proud of you," Veronica said first, running straight into John's open arms. Elise and Jim laughed at the small gesture, knowing they'd be doing the exact same thing in only a few moments.

Behind John came Brian, who immediately moved to hug Elise. She stood on her tiptoes as she rested her arms around his neck, hugging him as close to her as she could. "'M sorry," she whispered. "She'll be at home, waiting for you."

"I know," he smiled, letting her go. To any passerby, it would've sounded like she was talking about Chrissie, but they both knew she was talking about Anita. He was head over heels for that woman, and it made her happy knowing that soon, he would be, too.

"Where's my hug?" Roger said teasingly, standing a little ways away from Elise with his hands on his hips. As soon as she laid her eyes on him, she ran over to him, causing him to nearly fall over as she jumped on him. His hands came to rest on her thighs as she wrapped her legs around his waist, burying her face in his neck.

"You were brilliant, love," she mumbled, not quite wanting to let go. "I'm so, so proud of you."

"I couldn't've done it without you, flower." 

"Enough of the sap!" Freddie laughed, throwing his arm over Jim's shoulder. "We've got to go back to the trailer, Elise said she had a surprise for us."

"Surprise?" Roger inquired, setting her back down on the ground. She moved over to pick up Rosa once more, settling her on her hip before taking his hand in her own as they began to walk.

"You'll see."

By the time they got back to the trailer, Roger was practically bursting with excitement. Whenever Elise had a surprise, he knew it was a good thing—surprises were her favourite way of spilling news.

"What is it, then?" he asked. The seven of them sat down in the small trailer, adrenaline still rushing through the boys' systems. John was the only one to know about her surprise as he was still her best friend; it seemed that over the last ten years they'd only gotten closer than they were, and it proved that they would never be without each other without feeling...lost.

Elise sat Rosa down on Brian's lap, hoping that she'd cheer him up a bit while she made her announcement, and she did. As soon as Rosa was sat on Brian, his face was lit up with happiness once more.

"What is it, darling? Kind of scaring us here," Freddie laughed, tilting his head. "You're not going to leave Rog, are you?"

"Hell no!" she squealed. "I could never."

"What is it!"

"I'm pregnant," Elise said softly, fidgeting with the gold band on her ring finger. 

"Are you really?" Roger asked, his face twisted with joy. "You're not playing some sick trick, right?"

"'Course not," she laughed, yelping as her husband pulled her into his lap. 

"I'm so happy for you two!" Jim smiled, taking a quick swig of the beer that had been on the excuse for a coffee table. 

"Name it after me!" Freddie said, clapping excitedly.

"Do you think they'll love my hair too?"

"You two are going to have the best family, I can already tell."

Though everyone was saying words of encouragement, Elise couldn't focus on anything except for the man in front of her. She smiled brightly, clasping her hands together behind his neck. 

"I love you, Roger," she said, pulling him in for a kiss. He hummed against her lips and felt his heart swell at how happy he was.

He knew that Elise was his forever. At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to know that he was his forever as well, but with the fervour that she was kissing him with, he knew that he was her forever.

He pulled away after a moment to regain his breath, resting his forehead against hers. She began to giggle, happy as well that everything had gone the way she'd hoped it would ten years ago. She was happy that he was hers, and she was his. 

"I love you more, flower. I'll love you always."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and that's it! thank u for reading, hope u enjoyed!


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